Rebirth: Prelude to Lost
by emily-oriley
Summary: Sequel to The Forgotten. Visitors come to Buffy with startling information about an army of demons intending to free their long lost master from another dimension by reverting The Key back to its original state.
1. Chapter 1

***Author's Note***

Yes, yes, I'm still alive. Sorry for how long it's taken me to get this thing out but it's been one heckuva year. I just want to say a quick thank you to all of you who gave me reviews for The Forgotten -your words were all so very wonderful and inspiring -and it's one of the reasons why it's taken me forever to get going on a sequel. I really don't wanna disappoint anybody.

Now, reason number two…. Now I know it's here somewhere…. Oh yes, SHAMELESS PLUG! I recently published my own original novel StarChild -now available where eBooks are sold (except Amazon T.T)

Okay, but the main reason is that I wasn't sure if I should put out the two months Emily and Darwin spend with Angel prior to meeting Buffy and the gang or not. To do that, I needed to watch at least the season before last of Angel and that seemed a lot of work and I really wanted to get working on this… so I said "meh, rebel assault" and launched this thing. There will be some references to those months spent in LA but it shouldn't affect the story. Key word there: should. I'll get around to writing that out… eventually… someday… no, really, I swear….

Enjoy.

SMG

Rebirth: Prelude to Lost

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction

Sequel to The Forgotten

Disclaimer: *snatches BTVS characters off Joss Whedon's shelf, leaving bags of sand* … _ … *back wall opens revealing a life-size Serenity ship with a "Security" sign attached, all weapons locked and loaded* O.O Crap! Forgot the golden rule! Never steal from a nerd with cash! *flees*

Part One: The Army of Mara

Chapter One

Okay, as far as awkward moments go, this one probably takes the cake.

Buffy never believed in fate or anything like that. Well, okay, she was sorta "fated" to be the Chosen One and all that, but, other than that, no way Jose was anyone other than her the master of her destiny. Still, she couldn't help but feel like something had set up this meeting.

Because, seriously, how the heck else would she be sitting at her dining table across from Darwin Brown AKA Darwin Holtz, star of the latest chapter in the Watcher Council's Biography of Suck-itude. And let's not forget his companion, the vampire girl Emily who hadn't said a word since being invited inside; she just moved over to the darkest corner of the room like she was ready to disappear at a moment's notice.

Darwin took a polite sip of the instant coffee Buffy had offered then set the cup aside as far away from him as the table would allow. "Ah, yes, of course. I had heard about the recent misfortune the Council had suffered. Though I clearly had no love for any of my former co-workers, it is always sad to hear about the loss of life. I supposed I always just assumed the Forgotten Archive would stay hidden even if the worse should befall them. It appears I was mistaken."

Buffy squirmed a little before making her body sit still. She felt like apologizing for prying into this man's private affairs. "When Angel said you were coming he didn't exactly give me a heads up who I was supposed to be expecting." She glanced behind her at Emily. "How do you know Angel, anyway?"

Emily's eyes tightened around the edges but otherwise she didn't react.

"We ran into him a couple of months ago in Los Angeles," Darwin supplied, bringing the spotlight off the vampire. "We were in the middle of tracking down a group of demons. Angel provided us with assistance."

Something was popping up on Buffy's Slayer Radar. Her eyes flickered over to Giles. It wasn't just her; she could tell by the expression on his face that he thought something was more than a little odd too.

Weirdest thing, there was something freaky familiar about Emily –almost like this wasn't the first time she and Buffy had met. Probably because of all that stuff Buffy had read back at the rubble formerly known as the Council Headquarters.

Without warning, Kennedy jumped to her feet. "Okay, am I the _only_ one dying to know what happened in the mega-battle between Emily and Eve?"

Once again all eyes focused on Emily and this time it wasn't just her eyes that twitched.

"So what happened?" Kennedy was either oblivious to the tense atmosphere around the vampire or uncaring –it was always hard to tell with Kennedy. "Did you kill her or hide her away somewhere? If you killed her, how'd you keep your soul? And what about those other vamps and that guy vamp, Vinc-"

Emily's eyes locked on the approaching Slayer, silencing Kennedy's relentless questions. The tension was so palpable it spiked all the hairs on the back of Buffy's neck.

Emily pushed away from the wall. "I'm going to get some air."

"Wait, I thought vampires don't need air," Andrew piped up from the couch in the living room.

Everyone stared at him.

Slowly it dawned on him. "Oh, right. Never mind." He hid behind his _Ultimate Spider-Man_ comic book, ears glowing bright red.

Casting a sidelong glance at Darwin, Emily left the room. The only noise she made was when she closed the front door behind her.

"I'm sorry about that," Darwin said solemnly. "It's been… rather difficult for her these last few months. Returning to Los Angeles after all that happened took its toll on her."

"What happened to her in LA?" Dawn asked. She'd gotten the _Cliff Notes_ version on the way home.

Darwin grimaced and stared at Dawn apologetically. "Forgive me, but it's not my tale to tell. Besides, that's not the reason I'm here." He focused on Buffy again. "We came here to talk to you about a very serious threat that is on its way here."

"What kind of threat?" Buffy asked, all ears.

"There's an army on the way here called the Army of Mara."

"The Army of Mara?" Giles stepped forward, concern coloring his face. "I've heard of them. They worship the demon Gaylen, yes?"

"And I'm betting it's safe to say this Gaylen guy wasn't your _My Little Ponies_ demon," Xander quipped. "'Cause, well, let's face it, we're us."

Giles nodded. "He was a warrior demon –a conqueror. Rumor has it he was the one who first helped Alexander the Great then Napoleon rise to power."

"See, I like how you're saying everything in the past tense," Willow said. "Usually that's a good sign. And yet I'm thinking it's a not so good sign."

"Well," Both Darwin and Giles spoke at the same time.

"Sorry, go ahead," Darwin waved a hand for the other gentleman to continue.

"It's your meeting."

"She's your Slayer."

"It's funny, really. I'm used to being the only knowledgeable one in the room."

"Believe me, I can relate. Just the other day –"

"Um, hello?" Buffy interrupted, raising her hand. "Dumb, non-knowledgeable Americans still needing backstory here."

Both former Watchers cleared their throats and muttered apologies.

Giles took up the slack. "After betraying Napoleon by convincing him to send his fleet into Russia in the dead of winter, Gaylen was eventually defeated. If memory serves his heart was pierced by an enchanted sword and his soul banished from this dimension. Not long after that, his army disbanded for the most part. Only his most devout of followers remain, ever searching for a way to resurrect their fallen master."

"But it's been almost two hundred years," Dawn pointed out. "Shouldn't they have given up by now?"

"These are fanatics more or less," Giles answered. "It's not surprising they're still out and about. But why are they coming here?" he asked Darwin.

Darwin shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? They've found a way to reach their master's realm."

"How?" Kennedy asked, sitting on the armrest of Willow's chair. "Did they find some 'Get Out of Dimension Free' card?"

He laughed dryly at Kennedy's humor. "Close. They plan to use the Key."

All at once, the atmosphere in the room changed. Panic coursed through Buffy's body, freezing her to the core. Giles was a bit more composed but the concern was there, peeking through his eyes. A frightened look passed between Xander and Willow.

Dawn was on her feet, moving toward Darwin. "B-but I thought the Key was a one-time-use only thing." Her eyes were so wide the whites showed all around her iris.

"Normally, yes, the Key's power is dormant. However, the Mara believe if they can revert the Key back to its original state they'll be able to use it. It won't be nearly as powerful as it was but it'll be enough to open single doors between worlds."

"Can they do that?" Dawn's voice sounded hysterical.

Buffy immediately composed herself and tugged on her sister's arm. "Dawn –"

Dawn ignored Buffy, focusing all her attention on Darwin. "_Can they do that_?"

Darwin glanced around at the faces staring at him before he settled on the young girl. "I cannot say for sure –the research is very vague. All I know is they believe they have it in their power and will stop at nothing until they have the Key in the grasp. And since you," he pointed at Buffy "are the Key's last known guardian…"

"…they're coming for me," Buffy finished.

"Precisely, which is why we came to warn you."

The Slayer chewed on her lip for a moment before meeting Darwin's eyes. "About the Key… what exactly did Angel tell you?"

"Only that it is very precious to you; he wouldn't say more than that. And I won't press for details either. So long as I know it is either in your possession or you have access to it, it's not necessary for us to know specifically what it is."

Buffy met Giles's eyes again, an unspoken message passing between. Even though Buffy no longer saw Giles as the mentor she'd once had she still valued his opinion above most everyone else's aside from her own. Sure everything seemed on the up and up about this guy but she wasn't comfortable letting these strangers in on Dawn's secret identity –especially now with this new threat.

"Okay," she said finally. "Tell me everything you know about these guys."

Several minutes later, Darwin pushed open the front door and stepped onto the porch. Emily was seated on the steps, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from her lips.

"They've got an attic you should be alright in; only one window to worry about. It's only for one night. I can stay up there with you to make it easier," he said, settling down onto the step beside her.

She stamped out the cig, knowing how much he disapproved of her habit. "And how long are we going to pretend Dawn isn't the Key?"

He glanced over at her. "You caught that too, eh?"

"Difficult not to. Remind me to challenge them all to a poker game later."

That brought out a chuckle.

Staring over her shoulder at the door, Emily's brow furrowed with worry. "She's so young."

"Older than you, yes? You always did have a weak spot for children."

She turned back around. "They're scared."

Darwin nodded. "But they're more than prepared for what's coming with the lot they've got." He glanced sideways at her. "They don't need us."

Emily said nothing.

He patted her on the shoulder then stood up. "I'll go see if I can be of further use." He looked back down at her. "We'll leave as soon as the sun sets tomorrow evening."

Still the vampire remained quiet, deep in thought. After a moment, her head moved to the side like she was listening to something.

Or someone.

"Emily."

She jerked as if she'd forgotten he was even there.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded a little absentmindedly. "Just a little tired."

"We could leave now, if you'd prefer. Find some motel. You know how I always love those arguments about nailing bed linens to the walls."

She met his gaze unwavering and said in a tone that left no room for argument, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "An impossible request."

She rolled her eyes, visibly fighting against the smile trying to cross her lips. "_Baka. Jigoku ni ochiro_."

"Love you too, precious," he said, slipping through the door once more, leaving the vampire alone.

_Hopefully alone_.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After Darwin had gone outside after Emily, Buffy gathered everyone up for a meeting. First, they had to give the newbies -Vi, Kennedy, and Andrew -the 411 about the Key and Dawn and everything that happened two and a half years ago.

"Wow, so this Glory chick was like your version of _Doomsday_?" Andrew asked after the short version of all the gruesome details was shared.

As per usual, Buffy pretended the nerd hadn't spoken. "The name of the game right now is research. I wanna know absolutely everything there is to know about the army and what they're planning. Xander, take Kennedy and Vi and go through all the boxes in the basement and see if you can scrounge up all the info we gathered back in the Glory Days. Maybe something in there that wasn't important back then might be crucial to us now."

Xander nodded. "Got it."

Vi nudged her chin toward the front door. "What about her?" she whispered, as if afraid the vampire outside could hear them.

Buffy gave it some thought. "She's trained like a Slayer so I guess we treat her like one. But no one tells them about Dawn. Is that clear?" she asked the whole group.

No objections. The Slayers headed into the kitchen with Xander.

Andrew suddenly popped up from his chair. "Wait, wait -I have some very important, very fragile vintage _Mobile Suit_ collectables down there! Be careful!" He hustled through the kitchen door after them.

Willow stood up as well. "I'll load up the computer and see what we've got in the database. After that, we can go through the stuff we brought back from England. Maybe the Watcher's records will have something we don't."

Buffy nodded. "Good plan."

Willow headed up to her room while Buffy turned to Giles. "These Mara guys -are they as bad as they sound?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, already looking tired and the night hadn't even begun yet. "Well, strength wise, they're no worse than any other demon we've faced. But, as history has taught us many times before, it's not always the strongest army that achieves victory. They're a conquering race; they live and breathe war every waking moment of the day."

"And I don't?"

"That's not what I mean. Buffy, you have faced impossible odds and have come out victorious again and again for nearly nine years now. But these demons have more than two centuries worth of battlefield experience and knowledge. That sort of thing is difficult to contend with even with all our resources."

Inside her chest, Buffy's heart was working major double-time -this was so not what she wanted to hear. Would it be so much to ask for an army of pushovers for once in her life?

"What are the chances they know?" She pointed upstairs to Dawn's room.

While they'd been discussing housing situations with their guests, Dawn had separated herself from the group and gone upstairs. A large part Buffy had wanted to force her to stay by her side where she could keep an eye on her little sister but she hadn't wanted to do anything that might make Darwin suspect Dawn's secret.

Giles moved closer to Buffy and lowered his voice. "Glory and the others didn't know. I think it's safe to say the Mara are just as clueless."

That should have made Buffy feel better but the growing knot in the pit of her stomach didn't loosen one bit. "What do you think about them?" She nodded toward the door. "Can we trust them?"

He looked at the door. "Based on what we've read back at the Council, these two do seem to be this Holtz and Emily. There's always the possibility of imposters but the archive was still hidden when we got there. So long as we keep the Key's true identity to ourselves, I see no reason not to give them the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it's only temporary -they're leaving tomorrow. And it'll be quite refreshing to have another adult to talk to."

As though some great cosmic force chose that particular moment to summon him, Andrew stomped back into the living room. "Mr. Giles," he whined, holding up a colorful toy with a broken arm. "Kennedy broke my _Gouf_ model! How is _Ramba_ _Ral_ supposed to avenge _Garma_ _Zabi_ if he doesn't have a fully functional _Gouf_ Suit?"

Buffy and Giles just stared at him.

Andrew stared back.

A full minute passed before he got the hint. "Okay, maybe now is not the best of times to discuss this. But I want it stated for the record for future possible discussion when there is not a crisis looming overhead."

Again, all they did was stare until he finally left.

"What are you going to do about Dawn?" Giles asked, as though the interruption had never occurred.

"I'll call her school; tell them she's sick and she'll be staying home for a couple of days. I don't want her going anywhere alone until this is over. I don't _anyone_ going anywhere alone."

"Yes, that's all well and good, but that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh." Buffy glanced up at him then back at the stairs. "I'll go talk to her, make sure she's okay -or as okay as she can be. Still can't believe this is happening. It feels like it did before. I didn't like the way it ended last time -sure not looking forward to a sequel."

Giles gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze as she moved to the stairs.

"Dawn?" She tapped the door a couple of times before pushing it open. "Can I talk to-?"

There was no sign of her sister.

"Dawn?" Buffy voice rose in tune with her building panic. Did the Mara come while they were all downstairs distracted?

A loud bang and a soft curse gave the Slayer an answer. After a moment, Dawn emerged from under her bed, rubbing the top of her head with an annoyed expression.

"Dawn, what are you doing?"

"Trying to find the rest of the Nomad Chronicles -I've been reading through them for a project for school and one of them fell between the nightstand and the bed."

She plopped four ancient volumes down onto the bed. "I remember seeing something about Mara in one of these things. Just gotta figure out which one. Oh, and I already called my friend, Samantha, and she said she'd take notes for me and email me a list of assignments I'll be missing for school so we're all set there."

Buffy just stared at her sister in awe. She wasn't really all that sure what she'd been expecting when she came up here but this was way off the radar.

As though reading Buffy's mind, Dawn stopped flipping through pages and smiled up at her. "It's okay, Buffy. I know you came up here to see how I'm doing but I'm fine. I'm not fourteen anymore. I can handle this. Plus you've got more than enough on your plate to worry about without having to add basket-case-little-sister to the mix."

It was so surreal how much Dawn had changed in just under three years and not just physically -she now stood several inches taller than her much older sister -but mature-wise as well. She'd been through so much, lost so much more, and yet she's still here, standing tall even without added Slayer strength.

Automatically, Buffy moved a strain of Dawn's hair behind her ear. "You sure you're okay?"

Dawn's eyes rolled dramatically. "Yes, I'm fine. Totally chill. I know it's nothing like the last time. I mean, for one thing, we're got, like, way more Slayers than before and double the Watches. Not to mention a Vampire Slayer Vampire on our side. And with the addition of my awesome research skills, those Mara guys are so toast."

She pulled Dawn in for a tight, sisterly hug that was far more for her benefit than Dawn's. "I love you."

"Love ya too, sis, but kinda need oxygen sometime soon."

"Sorry." She pulled back. "I'd better get back downstairs. Oh, and, about Emily and Holtz -"

"Not a peep," Dawn assured her, twisting the key lock on her lips. "Be down in a sec."

Buffy left, closing the door behind her, never once noticing how Dawn's hands were trembling.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

For many long hours, the gang (plus one vampire and ex-Watcher) poured over books and diaries, looking for any and all mentioning of the Mara or Gaylen. Pickings were slim even with the addition of internet searching. In the end, they hadn't learned anything more than what they'd already known.

One by one, they drifted off to their own rooms -some falling asleep while others lay awake fretting over what the next day would bring. And by "others", that meant Dawn.

Yeah, okay, so she'd told Buffy that everything was cool and she wasn't freaked out about this whole thing. It hadn't been an outright lie. But who wouldn't be at least a teensy bit freaked? Surely Dawn was allotted that much.

Since sleep was clearly a non-option, Dawn kicked back the blankets and silently made her way downstairs. Pulling open the fridge, she took out the carton of milk and filled a glass. Dawn took a long sip and immediately gagged, rushing to the sink and spitting the white liquid out.

_Ugh_! _What the heck_?

She turned the milk over and read the expiration date. "_Ew_!" Why hadn't anybody bothered to replace this? It had to be Xander or Andrew -boys were so beyond disgusting!

Trying not to barf, Dawn dumped the spoiled milk down the sink. The smell was just oh-my-god unholy so she shoved open the small kitchen window to let it air out.

Then she heard it. Signing -someone was singing nearby. Leaning closer toward the window, Dawn put a hand behind her ear and listened harder. Yep, it was definitely someone singing -radio didn't sound like this. It was soft and somber -a ballad, maybe.

She looked over her shoulder at the clock -it was past three. Who'd be outside singing at this hour?

Mesmerized, Dawn tiptoed to the back door and pulled it open. It hadn't been locked; Buffy never left it unlocked.

In the backyard, the singing was a bit easier to hear. After a moment, Dawn pinpointed the direction and moved through the gate toward the voice.

Down the block about four or five houses down was a kiddie park complete with slide, swings and those bouncy horse thingies that never seemed very fun. It sounded like whoever was singing was there.

Cautiously, Dawn moved through the deserted streets, staying in the shadows as much as possible, until she reached the park. When she figured the coast was clear, she darted over to the nearest tree and hid behind it while peering through the night for the singer.

Holy gasp-and-a-half! It was Emily!

Sure enough, the vampire girl stood in front of the empty playground, eyes closed, that soft melody pouring from her lips.

Now that Dawn was so close, she realized the song wasn't even in English -Japanese she assumed considering that's what she and Darwin had been speaking randomly tonight, er, last night. But even though she couldn't understand a word of it, the overall meaning was clear. This was a sad song -a song of loss and pain -and it filled Dawn's heart with empathy.

The song reached a crescendo then drifted to a close with a long, soft note.

A full minute of silence passed; Dawn was trying to figure out what to do next when she heard Emily speak.

"You may as well come out. I heard you coming."

Dawn grimaced, thought about running, then let out a sigh and stepped into view. "Um, morning," she stammered, offering a weak, embarrassed wave.

The vampire turned around. Well, she didn't look angry, that was a plus. "Shouldn't you be inside? It's dangerous for you to be outside alone."

She chewed on her lip, fighting to keep the panic off her face. "Um, what, uh, what makes you say that?"

Emily cocked an eyebrow. "The house is on lockdown, isn't it? The Slayer in charge made it clear none of you are supposed to leave unescorted."

Dawn breathed an internal sigh of relief. Good, looked like her secret identity was still, well, secret. "Yeah, that's right. It's just… well, I heard your singing and… not that I was eavesdropping or anything!" she quickly amended. "Or, I guess I sorta was, but I didn't mean to. I just… You didn't happen to summon a singing / tap-dancing demon, did ya?"

"What?"

She waved a hand in the air. "Never mind, long story. Do you, um, do you do this a lot? Sing, I mean."

At first, Dawn didn't think Emily was going to answer. But eventually, she moved a strain of her long hair behind her ear and glanced away from the teenager. "It's therapeutic. Singing reminds me of who I am."

Dawn frowned. "You make it a habit of forgetting who you are?"

Something passed over her features. "More often than you'd think."

Dawn stepped into the playground and took a seat on one of the swings. Idly, she rocked her feet back and forth, swaying slightly.

"Is everything alright?" Emily asked, moving to stand next to her.

"Yeah, sure. What could be wrong?"

She thought about it. "Sitting in a playground alone with a vampire at three fifteen in the morning? Seems like something could be a little wrong."

Grimacing again, Dawn stared down at her lightly swaying feet and took a deep breath. "It's… this whole thing with the Mara and the Key…" She blinked away suddenly misty eyes. "The last time this happened, I lost so much. My mom and Buffy… I thought it was over but now that it's suddenly back in my life, all these feelings have been coming back and I… I'm scared. Not that something's gonna happen to me, but that I'm gonna lose my family again. It scares me more than anything. I… I'm scared of being alone."

There, she'd finally voiced it out loud. That thing that petrified her way more than the thought of being kidnapped and transmogrified back into Energy Girl.

Emily didn't reach out and pat her on the shoulder and tell her everything was gonna be okay. She didn't need to worry. They'd figure it all out and nothing bad would happen. And Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were real.

That's what the others would have done. Willow would have hugged her. Xander would've made some joke or nerdy reference she wouldn't understand. And Buffy would've thrown down one of her classic speeches that make her seem invincible.

But Dawn wasn't a kid anymore. She'd seen the worst case scenario. She'd lived it.

The fact that Emily didn't do any of these things -all she did was stand there and let Dawn calm herself down -made Dawn like her.

"Sorry for dumping all this on you," Dawn said, whipping away at a runaway tear from the corner of her eye.

Emily shook her head. "Some things are easier to tell a stranger. I was just an ear."

Still, she smiled up at the vampire, appreciatively. "Know anything in English?"

Another nervous hair gesture. "Nothing contemporary."

Her shoulder moved up and down. "I'm open to new things. I'd love to hear it."

Emily thought about it then closed her eyes and broke out into song again. As requested, the song was in English. It was about unrequited love and sacrifice. The lyrics weren't like the usual pop songs Dawn heard on the radio but the song was beautiful nonetheless.

When she finished singing, Dawn offered a round of enthusiastic applause. "That was amazing! Did you write it yourself?"

She immediately shook her head. "Oh, no. I heard that at a symphony concert last year. I saved the lyricist from a gang of vampires in the eighties and now he saves two tickets for me whenever he has a performance. Doc and I happened to be in Japan at the time."

Dawn's eyebrows rose. "Okay, you don't seriously call him 'Doc Brown' all the time, do you? 'Cause, no offence, but that's a little on the lame side of the line."

To Dawn's surprise, Emily groaned. "I know, I know. I hate it. But I sort of have to. We made a bet three years ago and his terms were that I'd have to call him Doc for 'so long as we both walk this earth'."

She laughed. "Wow. What did he have to do if you'd won the bet?

"Kill me."

The answer had been in such a haunting tone that Dawn knew immediately that it hadn't been an attempt at a bad joke. A strong part of Dawn wanted to inquire further but she didn't. Emily hadn't pushed Dawn to share and Dawn would respect that.

Instead, she asked, "So, what else ya got?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Buffy is going to _kill_ me!"

"You? I'm a vampire; she a Slayer. I think I have a little more to worry about."

Carefully, Dawn re-latched the back gate and moved over to the kitchen door. Figures moved past the window and she quickly dropped out of sight before they could spot her.

"Damn, what am I gonna do? If Buffy finds out I left the house in the middle of the night, she'll chain me to the radiator."

Emily crouched down beside Dawn, surveying the building. "Look, I can't stay out here much longer. Do you think you can fit in that window?"

Dawn followed her gaze. "The bathroom window? Yeah, I can but how am I gonna reach…" She looked at the vampire and it clicked. "Oh."

Two very awkward minutes later, Dawn stumbled onto the bathroom floor. She just barely managed to right herself when the door opened.

"Oh, there you are," Buffy said. "I was just knocking on your door. Giles and Andrew are going out for breakfast -want anything?"

"Um, just a little privacy, maybe?"

"Ah, uh, sorry."

She backed out of the bathroom with an apologetic wave and closed the door. Flipping the lock, Dawn fell back against the door with a huge sigh of relief.

Further upstairs, Emily was moving into the attic. The only window had a piece of cardboard taped up against the glass, keeping the harmful daylight outside and casting the room in an eerie yellow glow.

There were two sleeping bags on a cleared space on the floor. Darwin was curled up inside one of them. Emily sat down on the empty one.

"Enjoy your night?" Darwin sat up, wide-awake and fully dressed.

She ignored the question. "Nothing to report. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the Mara in the neighborhood."

He nodded along. "So who was it I heard you sneaking back into the house?"

She almost didn't answer him, taking the time to slip off her boots before confession, "Dawn."

He gave her a severely disapproving look. "We're supposed to be protecting the Key and you're out trollopping about with her in the middle of the night? With the Mara on the way?"

"First of all, she followed me out. And secondly, as I already said, I scouted the area and the Mara haven't made an appearance yet."

"Well, did she at least admit to you she's the Key?"

Lying crossed the vampire's mind but she decided against it. "No. We just talked."

The man sighed and stood up, smoothing out his slacks. "Well, I'm going to get a fresh start on that research. I want to see if I can find more about this ritual they intend to perform. In the event they manage to get their hands on Dawn, it might be best to -"

"They'll never touch her," Emily interrupted, a near growl in her voice.

Darwin glanced down at his companion. "We've bonded, I take it?"

She said nothing.

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're not leaving, are we?"

More silence.

"Is this just an excuse to prolong returning to Los Angeles?"

"You're the one who promised me after we left the first time I'd never have to go back to that Hell so don't you dare look at me like that," she snapped angrily.

Her tone didn't affect him. "Snippy this morning, aren't we? You didn't hunt last night."

She didn't look at him. "I can handle it."

"Need I remind you of what has happened to you these last few months? Or even the past two weeks? This is the reason we decided to simply give the warning and be gone."

The vampire still did not look at him.

Glancing over his shoulder at the door, Darwin switched to Japanese. "We've been over this; they don't need us. And obviously they don't trust us otherwise they would have told us the truth about Dawn."

Now she looked at him, also replying in Japanese, "If you were in their position, would you trust us?"

That gave him pause, taking some of the fight out of him. "I don't like this. It's too soon. I want you to understand that I am sorely against this."

The corner of her lip pulled up. "When has that ever stopped me?" she asked in English.

"Someday it might," he replied in kind. "A particularly frosty day in Hell, perhaps."

She actually chuckled.

With a sigh of defeat, Darwin ran a hand through his hair and turned toward the door. "I'd better inform our guests of our intended stay. With any luck they'll tell us to bugger off and I'll win the argument by default. I'll also pop by the store and bring you back something to eat."

Emily sat up straight, a very faint hue of embarrassment -the closest she could come to a blush -colored her cheeks. "I can find my own food."

"Clearly not," he countered, turning on her. "Otherwise you would have as you were supposed to the night before. You'll be lucky I don't bring it to you in a child's sippy cup."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."

"No, no, of course not. By the by, do you prefer _Strawberry Shortcake_ or that little Hispanic girl that runs around with the monkey and the talking rucksack?"

Emily had a knife in her hand and the arm raised by the time Darwin quickly rushed out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Hey, is Tokyo Disneyland different than our Disneyland?"

"I wouldn't know," Emily answered curtly, tapping her fingers against her arm impatiently.

"Oh, yeah, I guess not, huh," Andrew realized. "Is it true you can buy anything in a vending machine? Even girl's underwear?"

"Yes."

His face scrunched up. "That is so gross. Have you ever done it?"

The vampire threw him an obvious "leave me alone" look but the nerd wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. "So, you're fluent in Japanese, right? Yeah, I took some online courses in _Nihongo_ myself. Go ahead, say something -I bet I can figure out what you said."

Emily smiled sweetly at him. "_Hottoite kure matawa kuzutsukerudeshou_."

Andrew's face fell a little. "Oh, wow. Um… hold on. I think I know this one. Could you say it again a little slower?"

Across the room at the dining table, Xander, watching the whole exchange, said, "I got ten bucks says she decks him."

At that moment, Darwin swooped in, taking the boy by the shoulders and turning him away from the vampire. "Andrew, I think I heard someone calling your name from the kitchen."

"But isn't everyone out here alre-"

"There's a good, lad."

Darwin shoved the teen quickly through the kitchen door then made his way back over to Emily. "I believe I said 'play nice'."

"He started it," she accused.

He opened the door for her. "Oh, I'm sorry, silly me. I've forgotten that _he's_ the two hundred year old and _you're_ the adolescent teenager."

"_Kusokurae_."

"_Language_!" he snapped, appalled. "No wonder we never get invited anywhere nice, what with that sailor mouth you've got."

The door closed on their argument.

"And they're off again," Vi said, setting another book down onto a stack beside her. "Wonder where they go every night."

Kennedy shrugged. "Beats me. Just so long as they stay gone. That girl gives me the creeps."

Kennedy wasn't the only one.

Dawn had been happy to hear about Darwin and Emily staying longer. The others, not so much. It made the hackles on the back of Buffy's neck raise in alarm. Particularly whenever she saw just how buddy-buddy the vampire and her sister had become.

To be fair, her paranoia could also be because her Spidey Senses have been tingling since she'd heard the words "Key" and "revert". Then again, just because you're paranoid didn't mean the monsters weren't coming to steal your little sister away and turn her into a big ball of energy.

Then again, her tense mood could also be due to the lack luster research they've managed to accomplish. So far they knew that Gaylen was a Ye Olde Badass of back-in-the-day land and led a bunch of sub-badasses to battle. All of which he one -except for that lucky shot to his heart. Not enough to kill him -he was just mostly dead -but enough for a bunch of druids to get together and cast his soul out of this realm.

All that was good to know and all -don't let Gaylen wake up; big check mark on that note -but it didn't tell her much about the army that was supposed to be on the way. Other than a small scribble that Giles and Darwin _think_ say they're allergic to salt they had nothing.

Okay, okay, there was also another reason Buffy was rocking the Ants in the Pants Dance. She'd let Vi and Kennedy take over patrol so she could stay home and keep Dawn in her sights. Buffy always felt more in tune with herself while out there fighting then cooped up inside reading. It made her feel like she was actually accomplishing something instead of waiting for _something_ to accomplish her.

Then there was also the feeling of somebody watching her that never seemed to go away.

That's it -no more coffee.

"Oh, hey!" Dawn suddenly cried out. "I think I found another potential spell the Mara might be planning to use."

To Buffy's surprise, Dawn had decided to put her energies into helping Darwin research different rituals that could be used to turn her back into The Key. The whole thing was a bit too morbid for Buffy to handle -particularly since it meant giving even the slightest thought to the idea that she might fall into the Mara's hands. But it was probably a good thing to have an idea what to expect in the absolute worst case scenario.

"What's _'ismatos'_ mean?" Dawn asked.

"'Excrement'," Giles translated.

"Oh. Okay, never mind… ew." She scratched out a line in her notebook and went back to reading, a pink hue coloring her cheeks.

Across from her, Willow moaned miserably and dropped her forehead down on her crossed arms.

Kennedy moved over to Willow and rubbed her back sympathetically. "Headache again?"

Willow nodded, lifting her head and pressing the tips of her fingers to her temples. "It's been two days already and this stupid migraine won't go away."

"It's all the research. Why don't you head upstairs for a break and I'll bring you up some _Tylenol_."

Willow's lips stretched into a smile. "Ooh, Dr. Kennedy's making a house call."

She matched the smile. "Mmmhmm. Now, get upstairs so I can take care of you."

Whispering and giggling all the way, the girls climbed the stairs at a hurried pace.

"I knew that headache thing was total crap," Xander grumbled, shoving a box full of papers recovered from the Council aside and dragging another one forward to sift through.

Sitting on the hearth watching everyone was Buffy. A part of her was angry by their seemingly lack of concern over the task at hand. Then again, that was how the Scooby Gang usually rolled -keep it light to keep from going completely nuts. But for some reason, it was grating on her nerves this time.

Giles moved to stand next to her. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Fantabulous," she replied, dryly. "For the past week we've been researching and have come up with nothing. There's been no sign of the Mara. And once again I find myself opening up my home to a vampire, which, we both know, has worked out _so_ well in the past." She waved a hand toward the door. "Where _do_ you think they go every night?"

He sighed, leaning against the wall. "No idea. Darwin seems a pretty decent chappe but that Emily… there's certainly something off about her." He looked down at her. "What do you suppose happened to her three years ago?"

Buffy could guess. After all, hadn't she gone through something similar when she was seventeen? Been forced to kill the person she loved in order to save the world. The first thing Buffy had done was get the heck outta dodge -she'd never wanted to set foot in Sunnydale ever again.

If someone had forced _her_ back when she wasn't ready to return, she'd probably have a major attitude problem too.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Darwin held out a bag. "Fancy a crisp?"

Emily shook her head, annoyed. "Why do you always offer me food when you know I don't eat?"

"It's polite, isn't it?"

"Not if you know I'm going to say 'no'."

He shrugged, popping another into his mouth as he readjusted himself in the driver's seat to a more comfortable position. "Still counts."

"And those aren't 'crisps', they're 'chips'. You've been in this country how many years now?"

"I will start calling these 'chips' when they change all the menus to 'fish and French Fries'. If you ask me, that's the issue you should be pursuing. I don't even think they were invented in France."

"I think they're called 'Freedom Fries' now."

He rolled his eyes. "Bloody Americans."

The two sat in silence for a beat, broken only by the occasional crunch.

"This is a very stupid conversation to have," Emily pointed out.

"Well, I'd suggest we play a game of cards to pass the time if you weren't such a ruddy cheat."

"Being able to pick out your 'tell' is not cheating."

He eyed her. "If I scratch my face every time I have a good hand and you notice, no, I agree, that's not cheating. However, hearing the change in my heart rate whenever I bluff is."

She rolled her eyes at him, propping an elbow onto the window and dropping her cheek into her hand. "I'm just using my senses."

"To cheat."

Around round of silence built between them. Darwin emptied his bag, crumpling it and stuffing it into a plastic bag.

"What do you think?" he asked, seriously, clapping his hands together to get the grease off.

"No movement for the last twenty-four minutes. Either they didn't bother to leave a sentry or -more likely -this isn't their hideout."

"Now, now, none of that. This is just as likely a place for the Mara to hole up as any."

Emily gestured toward the dilapidated train station. "Look around you. You've got a live track to the west, a forest that is almost impossible to scout and a town less than ten minutes away. It doesn't fit with their usual pattern. We should be checking down by the water front."

"Yes, I agree, hiding out by the salt water when they themselves are allergic to salt would be ingenious. The only flaw I find in your logic is that's where we found them back in Los Angeles. It's old hat now. Besides, if you calculate the recent missing person reports and sporadic 911 phone records depicting loud, inhuman sounds and screams, you'll notice that they all originate within a fifteen mile radius of this station."

"I still say you're wrong. From a tactical view point, this place is at a great disadvantage," she countered.

Darwin held a hand out to her. "Bet me."

"I'm not betting you."

He smirked. "Because you know there's a chance you're wrong and you don't want to admit it."

With a low growl, Emily gripped the ex-Watcher's hand -a bit too tightly -and shook, sealing the usual bet.

The two exited the vehicle; Darwin took the time to wrap a crossbow strap around his shoulder while Emily unsheathed her _Kusanagi_. Cautiously, they made their way toward the old train station, keeping low and quiet. Or at least, as quiet as Darwin could manage -Emily moved as smooth and silent as a stream while he had to focus heavily on not placing his feet atop scattered dry leaves, twigs or the occasional empty liquor can.

When they reached the building, Emily gestured for him to wait behind her. He nodded and remained as she moved closer to the boarded up entrance. Pausing, the vampire pressed her ear to the wall and closed her eyes in concentration.

"It's clear," she announced, standing, giving him a look.

"Means nothing," he insisted, not allowing his concern to show on his face.

Smiling, Emily tapped her ear. "Nice poker face."

"Would you be so kind as to get us inside without the attitude?"

She turned back to the boarded up door, using her foot to lift a lose board up a few inches. "Judging by the litter, it's safe to say a bunch of kids have already paved the way for us."

With Emily holding the board, Darwin managed to crawl through the doorway and into the station. He turned and held it for her.

The station had obviously been in disrepair for quite some time. What benches remained -judging by the bits and pieces piled in a corner and the scorch marks upon the floor, the rest had been used for fires either by partiers or the homeless -were severely termite damaged. Cobwebs and rodent droppings provided macabre decoration giving the place an overall grotesque feel.

"Feels as though we've walked onto the set of _Dark Shadows_, doesn't it?" Darwin commented, suppressing a shudder.

Emily said nothing; she was slowly walking the length of the massive room, her keen eyes taking in things Darwin's mere human eyes could never.

He caught up with her as she stood in front of the boarded up door leading behind the ticket counter. "What do you think?" he asked her, his confidence beginning to deflate. It truly seemed as though he'd been mistaken after all.

Tapping a slender finger against the board, she said, "These nails are different then the ones out front. Newer."

Darwin glanced around, spying a rusty can sitting on its proper end with a dusty, stained rag lying atop. He lifted the can, pulling the cloth off. Inside were several shiny, brand new nails.

He showed his colleague. "Bit odd."

Agreeing, Emily gripped the board tightly and began to pull it free from the frame, taking great care not to splinter the wood. It came off rather easily and she set it carefully aside while Darwin opened the door.

The smell hit him like a physical blow. Quickly, he yanked a handkerchief free and pressed it to his mouth and nose, trying to keep from dry heaving.

Emily took him by the arm and pulled him back away from the room into the fresher air.

"I'm alright," he coughed, taking large breaths through his mouth. "Go, go."

Leaving him, she ventured into the back room. He'd only caught a glimpse of the carnage himself -random body chunks and buckets filled to the brim with thick pools of blood -but it was more than enough to satisfy him.

Not long after, Emily returned, immediately plucking up the board and shoving it back into place. Once she was certain she'd left no evidence, the vampire helped the human to his feet and guided him back through the station toward the entrance.

"I was right," he pointed out, still fighting the nausea that threatened to overtake him.

"We have to hurry -they won't be gone long," she said, gently pushing him beneath the loose board. And ignoring his statement.

"Say it," he pressed, taking a grateful lungful of clean air.

"We don't have time for this," she insisted. "The Mara could come back at any second and you're obsessing over a ridiculous bet!"

He locked eyes with her. "Say. It."

"…you're the doc, Doc."

"Sorry, didn't catch that," he held his hand behind his ear "Care to repeat it?"

"I said, 'get in the damn car or I'm going to leave your ass behind as a gift for the Mara with a sign around your neck that says 'bon appetite''."

So Darwin got in the damn car.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Hey, they're back early."

Buffy moved next to her sister and pulled the curtain aside. Sure enough, Darwin's rental car pulled over across the street and the two stepped out. Was it just her or did the ex-Watcher look a little green?

"Oh, Miss. Summers, there you are -good. We've something important we must discuss," Darwin said as he came through the front door.

Before Buffy could inquire further, Willow came through the kitchen door, carrying the box. "I thought I heard you were back, Mr. Holtz."

Darwin winced. "I know I'm no longer bound by the rules of the Council's Forgotten but I'd still prefer not to be called that. You may call me Darwin or Dr. Brown or simply Doc, if you'd like."

Buffy's eyebrow lifted. "Doc Brown? Really?"

"Yes, yes, it isn't as though I don't hear that from Emily every day."

Dawn made a coughing sound that drew everyone's attention. "Um, sorry. Something in my throat."

"Um, anyway," Willow refocused, holding up the box to Darwin. "Sorry it took so long to get this to you. It kinda got lost with everything because _somebody_ didn't label the boxes right."

"Hey, if you want something done right, don't rely on the guy who can't spell," Xander shot back from his seat on the couch.

Darwin frowned. "I'm sorry, what is this?" He pointed to the box.

"When we were going through the Council wreckage we found a bunch of stuff inside the Forgotten Archive that belonged to Isabel Rios," Willow said. "We didn't think it was right to just leave it there and, since you're here now, we figured you'd want to have it."

There was mixed emotions on Darwin's face -the greenish color now looked a little greyish. He stared at the box like it was both the _Holy Grail_ and the _Ark of the Covenant_ from the end of _Raiders_.

"I…" He had to swallow before he could continue. "I'm sorry, but I just can't. I'm sorry."

He took a few steps back before practically fleeing up the stairs. The three girls all stared at each other, all confused and unsure of what to make of what had just happened.

"I'll take it."

Buffy started at Emily's sudden voice appearing right behind her and she cursed herself for her complacency -it had only been a few days and she'd already grown used to the vampire's presence. So much so that it was now affecting her Slayer Spidey Senses.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset him," Willow said, apologetically. "I didn't think… I-I mean I guess I just thought he was okay with it by now."

Emily glanced at Buffy then Vi and Kennedy over in the corner with Giles before turning back to Willow. "I think it's all the Slayers, honestly. He's beginning to feel like a Watcher again. He was just blindsided."

"I'm really sorry," Will said again.

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. And in time, he will be glad to have this."

It was so weird. Only an hour ago, Emily looked like she'd been able to tear Andrew's face off at the slightest provocation (something she could empathize with). Now, Buffy could clearly see the compassion the vampire felt for her companion. _This_ was the vampire girl she'd read about back at the Council's Headquarters.

"Well," Willow held up the box. "Okay, here -"

"Guys, guess wha-"

Andrew suddenly came bursting out from the kitchen, bumping the Wicca with the door. Knocked off balance, she lurched forward, the box tumbling out of her arms.

Buffy was too far back but Emily was able to catch the box before it hit the ground. It only rolled a little -no harm done.

Suddenly, Emily hissed and released the box, letting it crash to the floor. She was clutching her forearm in pain. A wisp of smoke was emitting between her clasped fingers.

On the ground at her feet, an uncapped bottle rolled free from the cardboard lid, spilling more of its liquid contents.

Holy Water.

Buffy didn't think. She just reacted.

Pushing Willow away from Emily, Buffy aimed a foot at the vampire. A fraction of a second too late, Emily raised her hands to block the kick. She barely managed to lessen the blow -it only knocked her back a few paces.

Buffy came at her hard and fast with a series of punches. Emily blocked them each, reading the Slayer with apparent ease.

Just then, Emily raised her arms in anticipation of an attack, leaving herself wide open. Moving with her full speed and strength, Buffy caught Emily in the stomach, doubling her over. Not giving her opponent time to recover, Buffy spun and brought an elbow to the vampire's chin followed by a boot to the chest.

The force drove Emily into the back wall. She hit the plaster hard and crumpled to the ground, dazed.

This gave Buffy time to grab a nearby sword. She raised the blade in the air, ready to end the fight once and for all.

"_No_!"

Having been alerted, no doubt, by the sounds of the fight, Darwin raced from the staircase and threw himself between Slayer and Vampire.

"Please, don't kill her!" the man begged, pure terror in his eyes.

Those eyes stayed Buffy's sword, but she refused to lower it. "Who are you really?"

"What?" He seemed genuinely confused by the question.

"One thing was very clear in those diaries about Emily; holy water and crosses don't affect her. Now, tell me who you really are or I get to chopping."

The others had all gathered around by now. Vi and Kennedy looked ready to back Buffy up if necessary while Willow, Xander and Giles stood protective in front of Dawn. Andrew was hiding behind a chair, peeking up over the headrest.

_Click_!

Everyone froze at that sound. Behind Darwin, Emily held a small pistol aimed at Buffy's chest.

A cold wave of terror swam through Buffy. She remembered being shot before and now was fighting against her body's urge to run away.

"_Ju o shita ni oku_!" Darwin hissed at the vampire behind him.

"Not until she lowers the sword," Emily replied, not moving her gaze from Buffy.

It was then that something about Emily clicked in Buffy's mind. The whole time the two of them had been fighting, Emily had never taken the offensive. She blocked and dodged but never returned any blows. In fact, the only act of aggression the vampire showed was only after Buffy threatened Darwin.

That lent some credit to their story. But that didn't mean Buffy was ready to lower her sword.

Flustered, Darwin turned around to face Emily briefly before facing Buffy. "We are not your enemy here. If you would just give us a moment to explain -"

"You mean a moment to get your story straight," Kennedy interrupted, stepping forward beside Buffy. "I thought something was off since the beginning. You've been feeding us a load this whole time, haven't you?"

"Please," Darwin implored. "If you would just listen. Emily lost her resistance to holy items when she and Eve merged together three years ago."

Everyone had a fairly shocked expression on their face. Heck, Buffy almost dropped her sword at the word.

"Merged?" came Dawn's timid voice from the other end of the room.

Darwin glanced over his shoulder almost apologetically to Emily before addressing the group. "When she faced Eve she killed her and -as she'd theorized -their bodies merged back together as one."

"So, she's just a regular vampire now?" Buffy asked.

He hesitated. "I wouldn't say that but, in essence, she is more of a traditional vampire than she once was."

"Oh, this is such a load of bull!" Kennedy fired off. "If that really happened, how'd she keep her soul? Wasn't that something she said would happen?"

"She has a point," Giles said softly, stepping a bit closer, cautiously. "If what you say is the truth, then Emily should have lost her soul as she would have in the beginning had that priest not interfered. Theoretically speaking," he added quickly.

Again, Darwin hesitated, his face screwed up uncomfortably, as if he'd swallowed something that left a bitter taste in his mouth. "That… to be honest, that is something of a mystery to us as well."

"See, I knew it!" Kennedy declared, triumphant. "I bet this whole Key thing isn't even real. I bet they're just trying to distract us from something bigger, something worse."

"I assure you, the threat is very real," Darwin insisted. "If you believe nothing else, believe that. We've even located the Mara's stronghold -we can take you there now."

"Great idea -please, lead us all into a trap." Kennedy's voice oozed with sarcasm.

"You want proof?" Emily challenged, anger contorting her youthful appearance. "_Fine_!"

Hiding her gun at the small of her back, Emily slipped her thin leather jacket off her shoulders. Dropping it to the floor, she took hold of her violet long sleeve thermal and ripped it over her head, leaving her wearing only a sleeveless tank.

It was one thing to read about them but another thing entirely to actually see them in real life.

Scars covered practically every inch of exposed flesh on the vampire's shoulders, arms and chest. Some were shallow, looking like almost-healed paper cuts. Others were bumpy and raised with ugly dark scar tissue.

Buffy found her eyes glued to the freshest looking of the scars. Resting on the center of Emily's chest just above her heart was a star shaped scar mark that looked as if it had only just stopped bleeding.

And just above _that_ was a silver heart pendent with the word "always" written in clear crystals.

Stretching her arms outward, Emily said, "If I was an imposter, all these scars would look the same and far more recent, wouldn't they? After I killed Eve, I faded away into some dark, cold place. It felt like I was drowning."

Emily's face darkened fiercely. "But just before I completely faded, I heard _her_ voice. The more I disappeared the louder it got. I knew I had to stop her. Then I just… woke up. And I was like this."

She met everyone's gaze individually. "I have no other explanation to give. I don't know where I was or how I came back or why I'm like this or what really happened to me. This is the truth whether you believe me or not."

Though she'd spoken with anger and defiance, there was also such sorrow hidden deep within those chocolate brown eyes. Again, there was that weird déjà vu-y feeling Buffy got whenever she looked at Emily. Maybe that's why she believed the vampire's story.

"Enough!" Darwin snapped; it was the first time the gentle doctor had come close to losing his temper. "I understand the need for caution but this has gone too far. She's not a bloody animal to be put on display!"

Buffy agreed; things had gotten out of control. Even Kennedy looked slightly embarrassed which was definitely something new to see.

Darwin turned his back on the Slayer, retrieving Emily's shirt. "_Ue no fukuwokiru_," he murmured to her. Once the vampire had pulled her clothes back on, he turned back to the others. "I think it'd be best if Emily and I left. I'll tell you where we found the Mara -do with the information what you wish. The rest will be in your hands."

Buffy couldn't help but notice how Darwin stood in front of Emily, shielding her even though the threat had pretty much dissolved from the room. Or at least, the physical threat. It brought her back to a time when she was eighteen and Giles had lost his job with the Watcher's Council because he wanted to protect her.

They were wrong -she was wrong. These were the real Emily and Darwin. She'd been far too worked up by this whole situation that she let her fists do her thinking. If Darwin hadn't interfered when he did, she might've made a huge mistake. She should at least apologize.

Before she could get the words out, the front door and windows exploded and a torrent of demons came flooding into the house.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"_Mamoru_!"

Dawn had no idea what Darwin yelled but a split second later, Emily was tackling her to the ground. Her head bounced on the hard wood floor, rattling her teeth.

Of course when she noticed the four arrows sticking in the wall where she'd been standing, she decided to forgive Emily just this once.

Well, looks like her identity was safe. Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to off her. That was a positive, right?

The demons were huge and bulky wearing thick iron armor that looked heavy but didn't seem to harsh their movement in the slightest. They swarmed like a hive of angry bees, enveloping the room within a matter of seconds.

From the ground in front of Dawn, Emily aimed her gun at the nearest set of hulking monsters and fired three quick shots. She caught one in the eye and it crumpled but the other managed to drop a face guard. The bullets connected but did nothing but burst tiny little blue sparks.

"The trunk!" Buffy screamed, batting a demon away with her sword.

Vi and Xander dove for the weapons trunk but were intercepted by four more monsters, each wielding heavy iron battle axes. Vi managed to yank Xander out of the way of a swing that would have left him a lot shorter and brought her foot into the gut of another Mara, luckily knocking it back into two others.

The victory wasn't well celebrated. The remaining Mara managed to grab hold of the trunk and pull it back with it into the kitchen and out of reach.

Now only Buffy and Emily had a weapon -though Emily's was practically useless. She'd pretty much resolved to using it to deflect the blades coming at her from every direction.

A crack of lightning suddenly exploded in the air above everyone. Dawn pushed up to her knees, keeping low and spotted Willow standing near the stairs, her arms raised and a golden aura blazing behind her.

"_Expelle a me malum_!" she cried out, the lightning buzzing around her raised hands.

All of a sudden, the power fizzled out and Willow screamed in pain, grabbing at her temples. Blood spurt from her nose and she collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll.

"_Willow_!" Kennedy screamed in horror, trying to get to the fallen Wicca but unable to break through the group of Mara blocking her path.

Giles came to Willow's side, scooping her up in his arms. A demon came hurling at him, sword raised overhead. Before it could reach Giles, Darwin cracked it across the chest with a lamp, shattering the blub right in its grotesque face.

"Outside!" Darwin yelled, batting another demon aside. "Get to the car!"

Emily jumped in the air, planted both feet into the chest of a Mara and flipped back around to land on the ground in a crouch. She grabbed hold of the Mara's foot and hurled it toward the shattered front door. Acting as a bowling ball, the Mara crashed through a bunch of its comrades, effectively clearing a path to the exit.

Grabbing Dawn's arm, Emily yanked the teen to her feet and ran toward the door just as the Mara began to regroup. Claws raked across Dawn's arms and legs as the Mara tried to grab a hold of her but Emily knocked the hands back with the butt of her gun, firing a couple of times at point blank range.

Outside, there weren't as many demons as in the house but they were all clustered around Darwin's rental car.

"_Kuso_," Emily growled, keeping her grip on Dawn's arm. "Our weapons are in there."

"Keep moving!" Buffy shouted, slicing through the armor of one Mara while planting her foot in another approaching demon.

The group took off running down the street. The Slayers took up the rear, battling back the occasional Mara whenever it got too close. Dawn and Emily were in the lead; mostly because Emily was dragging Dawn along at a much faster pace then she would've been able to do on her own.

Suddenly, a Mara appeared in front of them from behind a tree and grabbed Emily by the throat, hoisting the much smaller girl off her feet.

Dawn did the only thing that she could -besides scream. She firmly planted her foot deep in the creature's groin as hard as she could. With a straggled choking sound, its eyes rolled back in its head and it dropped, releasing Emily on the way down.

"All that armor and no cup?" Dawn asked amazed. "Bet you feel like a jackass."

More demons were emerging from the surrounding area before them, taking some of the awesome out of Dawn's spectacular blow.

"This way!"

Once more, Emily took hold of Dawn's arm and dragged her behind her as she ran full tilt. Dawn did her best to keep up, pumping her legs as hard as she could.

Soon they found themselves running along the fence of a local elementary school, long since closed for the night.

While Emily paused, trying to figure out which way to run to now, Dawn chanced a glance behind them. The others had fallen behind, struggling against the army. Willow was awake now but clearly suffering from whatever had happened to her. Xander and Andrew were supporting her while Giles was using a rebar he must've found on the run to parry a Mara's sword.

Kennedy, Vi and Buffy were spread out, trying to keep the rest of the demons from swarming. Kennedy had managed to snag one of their axes but as Dawn watched, she lost her grip after receiving a particularly nasty blow to the face.

"Inside the school! Now!" Emily commanded, pushing Dawn in front of her.

Dawn rushed through the broken gate and onto the campus. Without the kids and the sun, the place looked really creepy -like Stephen King's personal paradise creepy.

Emily grabbed hold of Dawn's arm to stop her, almost knocking her over. "Wait, up there!" She pointed to the roof of a nearby building.

"How do I -"

"Remember the bathroom from the other day?"

Unfortunately.

Emily laced her fingers together. Bracing herself on Emily's shoulders -which were way more solid then they looked -Dawn dropped her foot into her hands and stepped up. Using the momentum, Emily hurled Dawn skyward. She landed on the roof awkwardly, skinning her elbow raw.

But how was Emily going to get up there?

She moved to the edge of the roof to offer an arm or something. Emily had backed up several paces and then ran forward. She ran up the wall blocking the boy's bathroom door, launched to the side to grab hold of a tree branch and swung herself onto the roof, landing with a quiet tap Olympic gold medalist style.

There wasn't much time to be impressed with the display, however. Below them, Buffy and the others had also ventured into the school along with the Mara. The demons were clearly much more organized than the gang and quickly had them surrounded.

"This was a set up from the beginning," Emily realized aloud, watching the group below. "They've been watching us this whole time. That's how they knew to keep us from the weapons and incapacitate the witch. That fight was the perfect opportunity for them to strike."

Dawn knew Emily was right. This whole thing just seemed far too perfect to be a coincidence. They'd fallen for the trap hook, line and sinker.

"Oh, God, Emily!"

The vampire followed Dawn's gaze. Darwin was on the ground, crab-walking backwards as two Mara stalked toward him, weapons raised and ready for the kill.

"Emily, what are we going to –"

The words died in Dawn's throat when she faced the vampire. Emily had her gun aimed right at Dawn.

"Emily?"

The vampire didn't respond. Instead, she placed the fingers of her free hand into her mouth. A shrill whistle pierced the air.

Below them, the battle came to a halt as man, Slayer and demon all froze at the sudden sound.

"Attention warriors of Mara!" Emily called, fingering the safety off the gun. "I have the Key! If you want it, then let's negotiate."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Dawn's face paled in horror. Emily had just revealed to the enemy Dawn's secret identity. Dawn never even knew Emily had known.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Darwin shouted up at Emily.

"I'm not going to let you die for these people," she called back to him, not taking her eyes from Dawn. "I can't. I'm sorry, Mr. Holtz."

For a moment, Dawn puzzled over why Emily called Darwin "Mr. Holtz" when he'd made it clear he doesn't want to be called that.

"This isn't right!" he shouted back. "You can't turn over the Key!"

"Not unless they make it worth my while." Emily's eyes shifted over to a group of demons that had been slinking toward them. "How about it, guys? You let us walk away and you'll have your precious Key."

One of the Mara stepped away from the rest. "No negotiation," he said in a thick voice. "Give us the Key or we shall slaughter them all."

At this statement, the remaining warriors raised their weapons at Buffy and everyone. Panic drove Dawn forward but the barrel of Emily's gun pressed against her chest on top of her mom's old jade necklace. It stopped her and redirected her attention back to the vampire that just betrayed her.

"If you kill them, I'll destroy the Key," Emily threatened.

The speaker smirked. "Then we will find another way to return our master to power. But your companions will still be slain."

A bead of sweat trickled down Emily's temple.

"Give us the Key and we may show mercy." His lips peel back into a grotesque grin showing sharp teeth.

Emily's eyes moved from the demon to Darwin and the others then to Dawn, a decision sparking within them.

"I thought you were my friend," Dawn said, not hiding the hurt.

"Maybe you were wrong."

Dawn narrowed her eyes at the vampire in spite of the gun. "I hate you."

For the briefest of moments, Dawn thought she saw a twinge of pain flash across Emily's expression. "Yeah. I get that a lot," she murmured.

"For God's sake, Emily, they'll kill us even if you give them what they want!" Darwin yelled desperately. "Please, don't do this!"

Emily turned her gaze back on the former Watcher. "_Sayonara o iu koto wa arimasen_."

Darwin's face paled. His mouth opened but he suddenly seemed to have forgotten how to speak.

Tearing her gaze away from Darwin, the vampire glared over her shoulder at the still inching warriors. "You want the Key? Come get it."

Abruptly Emily ripped the necklace free from Dawn's neck then shoved the teenager over the edge of the roof. Screaming, Dawn fell, trying to remember if it's better to curl into a ball when she landed or simply go limp.

"_Oof_!"

Xander and Andrew had been closest. They'd dived in a bumbling attempt to catch her. Instead, they crashed into each other but at least cushioned her fall. It hurt but it wasn't fatal.

"Kill them! Get the Key!" roared the demons as most of them charged after Emily who'd fled over the other side.

As Dawn and the boys rose to their feet, Buffy, Kennedy and Vi were taking out the Mara that had remained. So many had gone after Emily that these were easily dealt with between the three Slayers.

"What now?" Andrew asked, massaging his shoulder. "Do we go after them?"

"We should regroup," Darwin said, his voice a bit shaky. "We need to get Dawn as far away as possible. It won't take long for them to realize Emily doesn't have the Key."

The others turned on him. Especially Buffy who looked more than a little bit pissed.

She grabbed Darwin by his collar and yanked him down to her height. "How did you know about Dawn?" she demanded. "Did Angel tell you?"

To his credit, Darwin didn't struggle or squirm in her grasp. "No, like I said before, he refused to specify out of respect for you."

"Then how? Was it Andrew?"

"Hey," Andrew complained. "I can keep a secret. I haven't even said that the guy who framed Bruce Wayne for Vespa's murder was David Cain hired by Lex Luthor."

"Ruin it!" Xander complained loudly.

Andrew winced. "Okay, my bad, but I did not blab."

"It wasn't Andrew," Darwin clarified, loosening his lapel a little. "We figured it out from your reaction to our arrival. The way you all wouldn't look at Dawn intentionally –honestly, it was like a beacon."

"Wait." Dawn stepped forward, pulling him out of her sister's clutches. "You're saying that Emily knew I was the Key the _whole_ time?"

"Yes," he said, massaging his throat. "That was a diversionary tactic. Emily plans to lead them away for as long as possible so we might escape."

That was why Emily had used his old name. It must've been a code they'd come up with a long time ago. Immediately, Dawn felt ashamed of what she'd said to Emily. Why hadn't she just trusted her friend?

"We should get going then," Giles said. "Before they double back for us."

Buffy took Dawn by the arm and kept her close as they walked out of the elementary school. Normally Dawn would've complained but she was too busy focusing on Darwin moving slowly beside her. His expression was blank but his hands were trembling.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The first thing she noticed was the ache in her wrists. No, that wasn't true. The faint cackling in her mind initially woke her but to acknowledge that was to acknowledge something she had been trying to ignore for the past couple of weeks.

Knowing her captors were very aware of her regaining consciousness, Emily elected to open her eyes as opposed to feigning sleep.

She knew where she'd be when she woke. The abandoned train station she and Darwin had scoped out prior. Where else would the Mara take her after they'd finally managed to chase her down?

Emily was tied to a chair in the center of the station in front of the ticket booth. Wrists and ankles bound separate and so tight she couldn't even wiggle her fingers or toes. Not that she'd hoped they'd slip up when restraining her. Just would've been nice.

Five Mara –including the Negotiator –stood before her, all looking angry and eager at the same time. That did not bode well.

"How about I save you the trouble, gentlemen –there are four lights."

If this had been a TV show, this would've been the perfect moment for the canned cricket sound effect.

"Really? Nothing? 'Cause I know a couple of nerds that'd be rolling if they heard that."

"Give us the Key," the Negotiator ordered, unamused.

"Righto, just untie me and I'll check my pockets."

One of the Mara stepped to the side revealing an array of sharp lethal looking instruments.

Emily's jaw tightened. "Look, I was told that pendant was the Key. I was betrayed. If you let me go I will help you hunt them down."

The Negotiator stepped in close to Emily so their faces were merely inches apart. She bit back the urge to suggest a _Tic-Tac_ but it was with great effort.

"We Mara can smell the truth in the air," he said. "And your offer of allegiance has the distinct order of BS."

Faster than a cobra strike, he jabbed a silver blade deep into Emily's thigh. She bit back a cry of pain as he ripped it free. Blood flowed freely, leaving a dark patch on her pants.

"Great, that's gonna stain," she complained. "Any chance I can get some club soda?"

Her comment was ignored. "We know you were purposely leading us away. That makes us believe you know of the Key's true identity and location. We've been waiting over two centuries to revive our master. That means we're very patient."

Almost as a caress, the Negotiator traced Emily's cheek with the dagger, leaving a trail of her own blood on her skin.

"Now…" He smiled. "How many lights do you see?"

The laughter Emily had been trying to ignore was getting louder.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"So, what's the plan? I mean, there is a plan, right?"

Dawn had been asking non-stop questions their entire trip home. It wasn't like they were ignoring her; they just didn't have an answer.

The first thing they did when they got home was make sure it was safe. And it was –at least there wasn't any sign of the Mara. Now, they needed to come up with an answer to Dawn's question.

"The best thing right now is to retreat to a safer location," Giles spoke up. "They know this place too well."

"I agree," Buffy said. "We gather up as many supplies as we can and leave five minutes ago."

"You should head west," Darwin pointed out. "Mara are allergic to salt –it severely weakens them and in certain doses can be fatal."

"Sweet, beach party!" Xander clapped his hands together. "Nothing like surf 'n turf after a butt wuppin'."

"Guys, aren't you forgetting something?" Dawn demanded loudly. "What about Emily?"

They all looked to one another in an "I know something you don't know" sort of way only less third-grade-mocking-y. Everyone seemed to be purposely avoiding Darwin's gaze.

"_What_?" Dawn asked, angrily.

No one wanted to say it.

To everyone's surprise, Darwin stepped forward, addressing the teen. "Dawn, by now they've no doubt captured Emily and figured out she was lying about the Key. They'll probably torture her for information but they know we'd never trade the Key for her life. When they realize she'll not give them what they want –and she won't," he said to Buffy certainly. "They'll have no reason to keep her alive."

Dawn's hand flew to her mouth. "She's going to die a-and you're just going to let it happen?"

Pain etched across the older man's face. "That last bit she said to me before she left? '_Sayonara o iu koto wa arimasen'_? It means 'never say goodbye'.

"You see, Dawn, Emily and I are fully aware that every time we leave our presence could quite possibly be the last time we ever see each other. That's why we made two rules: first, we never leave angry. And second, we never say goodbye. Do you understand? Emily understood the sacrifice she was making."

Dawn looked around at the others, waiting for someone to interject. To tell Darwin he was ridiculous for believing they'd just give up on her. But no one spoke. No one.

"I can't believe this!"

"Dawn, there's nothing we can do," Buffy said in a regretful tone.

"Yes, there is! We can go save her!"

"We barely made it out alive back there," Kennedy said. "You expect us to go into the belly of the beast? It's suicide."

"But she sacrificed herself for _us_! We can't just let her die!"

"We don't have a choice," Buffy said a little more stern.

Dawn turned on her sister. "Would you be saying this if it was Xander or Willow for Vi that got taken? Just because she wasn't _your_ friend doesn't make it okay to abandon her!"

"That's enough, Dawn!" Buffy shouted, making everyone jump. "This conversation is over!"

Hot angry tears burned in Dawn's eyes. Without another look at her sister, she bounded up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door.

Nobody seemed to remember how to move or speak for a while.

"Everyone," Buffy commanded, breaking the spell. "Pack. Take only the essentials. We need to get out of here."

They all split off to do as ordered, moving quickly but solemnly. All except Darwin who'd moved to a map of the county resting on the dining table.

"I'm sorry," she told him, meaning the words, needing him to know that she understood the sacrifice he was making even if she could do nothing about it.

He didn't acknowledge her words. With a finger, he pointed to a spot on the map. "This is where Emily and I located the enemy's base of operations. An abandoned train station a few miles due north of here."

Buffy nodded. She knew the place; she and Dawn had passed by it several times. That was before the electrical fire had rendered it condemned.

"You'll want to avoid that area on your travels."

The Slayer frowned. "You're not coming?"

"No. I'm going to the train station."

"You just said-"

"That it's pointless to try and save her. I did and it is. But I can't leave her alone."

He didn't look scared or anxious or doubtful of his decision. Like it was nothing worse than choosing whether he wanted mayo on his sandwich or not.

"Thank you," she said because she didn't know what else to say.

Darwin dropped a hand on her shoulder and smiled in a very Giles sort of way. "It was an honor to work with you, Miss Summers."

Before her emotions could overtake her, Buffy moved away from the man to oversee the operation.

Within a few minutes everyone was packed and ready. Everyone except Dawn who hadn't come out of her room.

"Get the cars loaded," Buffy told the others while she and Giles went up to coax Dawn from her room.

It pained Buffy for her sister to believe her to be this cruel, heartless warrior that could throw another person's life away. But what could she do? Tell Dawn how much she hated leaving Emily and now Darwin to die to protect her little sister? Better to just let Dawn be angry with her.

"Dawn!" she called, rapping on the door a few times. "We've got to go. Come out."

No answer.

She almost wanted to roll her eyes at Dawn's childish behavior. God she was so stubborn. But there wasn't time.

Buffy twisted the handle and opened the door, saying, "Let's go, Dawn, now!"

But she was speaking to an empty room with an open window.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

All in all, the torture wasn't that bad.

Sure it was painful but nothing that couldn't be endured. Once you've been tortured by the best there really wasn't much else you can't handle. Really, she was starting to get a little bored.

"Are you ready to talk now?"

Blinking blood out of her eye, Emily glanced up at the Negotiator / Trekkie. "Actually, there's this spot on the back of my shoulder that's been itching like crazy. Can't think of anything else. Be a pal and scratch that for me?"

The Mara's eye twitched but he smiled down at the vampire. "Certainly." He moved behind her and tapped a finger against her back. "Here?"

"Yeah, right there."

A sharp pain burst from her back and she had to fight to keep from screaming. After a moment, she heard a disturbing tearing sound.

The demon set the small flap of skin he'd just cut from her onto her hand. "There. Now you can scratch it all you want."

Her shoulder was on fire; she could feel the cold stream of blood streaming down her back. But she met the Mara's eyes, laid the skin on the hand rest and raked her nails across it.

"Much better," she said, smiling up at him. "Thanks a lot."

Growling, he grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back so hard she felt something pop. "I will have what I want!" he shouted in her face. "The question is not a matter of when but how many pieces you will be in when I finally get it!"

"You seem to have a lot of anger management issues. Have you ever tried decaf? Or some smooth Jazz?"

He raised the dagger in his hand and pressed the tip against her throat, drawing blood. "I will find your breaking point. I will see you on your knees, begging me for the sweet embrace of death."

_**Just give him what he wants. You might still get out of this alive.**_

"Never gonna happen," Emily said; she wasn't responding to the Mara's words.

"We shall see."

Releasing her, the demon signaled for a couple of his minions to come forth. They exchanged some words in their native tongue then moved on Emily. One held her shoulders, jabbing a thumb in her fresh wound, while the other took hold of her arm, pinning it in place.

The leader moved to the table where he kept his toys. "Since it has become apparent outside stimulation is not as effective as I'd hoped, perhaps it is time to change our tactic."

He held up a bottle of holy water in one hand and a syringe in the other. Sticking the needle through the cap, he filled it to its max then set the bottle aside and moved back toward her.

"I think an attack from the inside might prove more… fruitful."

Against her will, Emily found her body reacting to the threat. She tried jerking her arm free but the bonds and the demon held her firmly in place.

Enjoying her response, the Negotiator actually took a medical whip and swabbed the area of exposed flesh.

"Wouldn't want you to get an infection," he told her.

"How thoughtful," she replied in a calm voice but the fear was obvious in her body language.

_This is gonna hurt…_

Before the Mara could stick her with the needle, another of his brethren burst into the train station, speaking hurriedly. Whatever was said seemed to interest him because he dropped the syringe back onto the table and left the room. The others joined him, leaving Emily alone.

_**Congratulations. Not only are you going to die a fool's death but you won't even die on your feet.**_

"At least I'm gonna take you with me," Emily murmured, knowing the voice would hear her.

About a minute passed before her buddy came back into the room, looking unnervingly pleased about something.

"If you have a prior engagement, I can come back later," she told him.

"You have a visitor," he informed her with relish.

Emily sighed. _Doc, you sentimental old fool, I'll never forgive you for this._

But it wasn't Doc the Mara manhandled into the room.

It was Dawn.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Dawn winced at Emily's harsh words. Or maybe it was because the demon had been twisting her arm kinda hard.

The vampire looked like the Mara had been using her as a pin cushion. She was covered in bruises and ugly stab wounds. Three fingers on her right hand looked like _Arby's_ curly fries and a long, red gash traced the line of her jaw from temple to chin. A steady dripping sound was coming from the back of the chair, filling a darkly colored pool on the floor.

All this was because she'd been protecting Dawn.

"I… I came to rescue you," she explained lamely. "When I found out the others weren't coming I-"

"Shut your mouth!" Emily snapped. "You never should've come! Just keep quiet!"

The chatty demon from the school stepped up to Emily. "This child is of importance, yes?"

Emily glared into his hideous face. "She's an innocent. Let her go."

The creature studied Emily for a long time as though trying to read something in the way she'd answered his question. Emily's eyes were tight but her face was blank, offering nothing.

"Bring the girl forward."

Mr. Grabby once again took Dawn by the arm and dragged her roughly over to the leader and Emily.

"Fear not," he assured Dawn, waving his minion away. "I only wish to speak with you."

"Don't say a word!" Emily shouted.

This outburst granted the vampire a vicious backhand that rattled Dawn's own teeth.

"Now, child." He turned back to Dawn who flinched at the attention. "Why did you come?"

Dawn's heart was thumping so thickly in her chest she feared it would burst through her ribcage. But she had to keep her cool. There was no way these guys knew she was the Key and Buffy and the others were on the way. She just needed to buy a little time.

"T-to rescue Emily," she said, forcing most of the quaver from her voice.

"All alone? Against my army?"

"N-no. I just –"

"The Slayer would not risk her warriors to save this creature." He waved a hand at the dazed vampire. "So, tell me, are _you_ important enough to save?"

"Well, yeah, but only 'cause Buffy's my sister."

The Mara leaned closer, his lips peeling back. "I think you're more important than a mere sister."

Now Dawn's heart skipped a beat but she managed to keep it from showing on her face. "Well, I'm not."

That gross smile got wider. "Oh you are, I can tell. The question is: why are you so important? It was my belief that you were merely the Key Master. When the vampire stole your gem I'd thought myself ratified. Perhaps I was not entirely incorrect. Maybe you still have the Key."

The teen built up her courage and glared fiercely up at the Mara. "I don't and even if I did I'd never give it to you."

His expression turned puzzled.

His puzzlement giving her an additional boost of confidence, Dawn continued, "Right now, my sister has already taken the Key someplace far, far away. You will never, ever get your hands on it."

"Oh?" He reached out and curled a strain of her hair in his clawed fingers making her vow to wash her hair at least forty times when she got home. "So you're saying I shall never hold the Key in my hand?"

Emily shouted, "Dawn, don't!" at the same time Dawn answered, "Never."

The leader's grip on her hair tightened and he yanked it back sharply bringing her face within inches of his.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said. "We have been searching quite a long time for you, Little Miss Key."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

They were too late.

Those words repeated through Buffy's head again and again.

When they made it to the abandoned train station it was just that, abandoned. There was no sign of the army or Emily or Dawn.

They were too late.

"They can't have gone far," Giles noted. "Dawn only had twenty minutes on us."

"They must've taken Emily with them," Darwin said, his eyes raking across a table top full of bloodied sharp instruments in disgust. "No ashes."

"Isn't there a way to track them?" Vi asked worriedly. "A locator spell or something?"

They all turned to Willow who was chewing on her thumbnail nervously.

"I can try but if they're still blocking me like before…"

She didn't finish –she didn't have to. Instead she found herself a spot and began centering. Kennedy stayed by the Wicca's side for support.

They were too late.

Buffy shoved the words away and scanned every inch of the station with her sensitive eyes. Something, anything. It didn't have to be a giant neon _Eat at Joe's_ sign pointing the way to where those monsters had taken her sister. All she needed was a clue.

That's when she spotted the blood. At first she'd breezed over it –there was blood all over the place; especially in the back room behind the ticket counter -but this particular patch seemed different.

Deliberate.

"Guys."

Everyone but Willow and Kennedy came to Buffy's call as the Slayer crouched by the droplets.

"Is that blood?" Xander asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

"Who's do you think it is?" Vi asked uneasy.

Before Buffy's imagination could overwhelm her, Darwin crouched down beside her and said, "They wouldn't risk harming the Key. And unless they've got another hostage…"

He pulled a glass bottle from an inner coat pocket. Popped the cap and poured a bit of water onto the blood. Steam puffed up and the water bubbled.

"It's Emily's."

Was it wrong to feel relieved? Relieved that she wasn't staring at evidence pointing to Dawn being dragged off somewhere with these monsters hurt?

"There's more leading in this direction," Xander observed, shinning a flashlight into the grass outside. "I think it's a trail."

Something was wrong -Buffy could feel it in her bones. A cold shiver of electricity was shooting up her spine, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.

Before Buffy could give the okay to follow, Kennedy called out to her, "Buffy, get over here!"

Kennedy was holding onto Willow who looked like she was about to throw up.

"Something's wrong," Willow panted. "There's energy building –dark, dark energy. I can't tell where but I can feel it. Buffy, I think it's…"

"Dawn," the Slayer finished.

They were too late.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

It was happening all over again. The same fear and panic she'd experienced three years ago. Just like before.

The army had marched Dawn and Emily –though dragged was probably more accurate for her –out of the train station along the length of the tracks for who knew how far. Now they were deep within the thick forest in a clearing. At the center was a stone alter resting between five trees. This was where they'd left Dawn, bound and gagged.

Emily was also tied up, thrown onto the ground near the edge of the clearing. She looked even worse than she had back at the station –more pale than any other vampire Dawn had ever seen.

The leader stood up on the alter beside Dawn and addressed the masses. "Brothers in arms! Tonight, after many long years we finally have the means to return our glorious master to this world!"

"Hail, Gaylen!" they cheered.

"Tonight is the dawning of a new age! An age written by blood! Bring it forth!"

A group of five approached the alter carrying a long wooden box. When they set it down, Dawn saw a skeleton wearing old, tattered armor. A long sword was embedded between its rib bones where the heart used to be.

"And now, bring forth the sacrifice so that our master may feast upon waking."

Two Mara hoisted Emily and tossed her carelessly down by the box. The journey had taken quite a lot out of the vampire. She looked even more pale, her skin almost luminescent in the pale moonlight. A spot on the inside of her elbow was bleeding a lot.

The leader flashed a wicked smile at her. "Though Lord Gaylen would prefer something fresher, dead flesh will suffice."

If she hadn't been gagged, Emily probably would have something to say about that. But right now all she could do was glare.

"Let the ceremony begin!"

As useless as it was, Dawn began to struggle against her bindings. Behind her gag, she screamed. Screamed for her sister, for her friends, for herself.

All around her, the demons began to chant in a language she didn't understand. Beneath her, runes suddenly appeared, glowing a brilliant green color.

The chanting grew loudly and the glow brighter. Dawn was having trouble thinking, breathing, feeling. Her skin looked like it was on fire. Everything was fading away into that bright green light.

Dawn was fading. Disappearing. Losing thoughts and memories.

She couldn't remember the smell of her mom's favorite perfume. The name of the song her dad always used to hum whenever he drove her and Buffy to the beach. What book she was supposed to be reading for English class.

She'd never graduate from high school. Never go shopping again. Never get a chance to steal Buffy's purple sweater –she always liked that sweater.

Within moments, Dawn would cease to be.

_Crash_!

A large rotted tree came flying into the clearing, smashing into several Mara. The chanting came to an immediate halt.

"_No_!" the Mara leader roared, watching as the glowing from the alter dissipated. "Who dares?!"

"Sorry, but if you turn my sister into a big energy blob then I can't ground her for the rest of life for running away."

Buffy emerged from the trees gripping her red Slayer's Ax. Behind her, Giles and Vi stepped forward.

"_Kill them_!"

With the army focused on Buffy, none of them noticed Willow, Kennedy and Xander sneak behind them. They attacked the demons guarding Dawn, giving Darwin a chance to untie her.

"Stop them!" the leader shrieked. "Get the Key! Get the –"

His shouts were abruptly cut off when a newly freed –thanks to Andrew who was already rushing back to the safety of the forest –Emily slashed him across the back with her black sword.

"That's for calling me 'sufficient'," she spat at him, using the sword to stay upright.

Without their leader giving them instructions, the Army scattered. Some tried to procure the skeletal remains but they were quickly dispatched. It wasn't long before all the Mara lay motionless on the forest floor.

After the fight was over, Emily swayed on her feet, her body giving way to fatigue and injury. She would've hit the ground but Andrew was there, propping her upright.

"Need a hand?" he offered.

"Thanks," she murmured, her eyes drooping closed for a moment. "Sorry about that whole threatening to hurt you thing."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You'd be surprised how many times I get that."

She raised her head up to eye him. "No kidding?"

Meanwhile, Darwin was checking on Dawn who now lay unconscious on the alter. The others all surrounded them, watching anxiously.

"How is she?" Buffy asked, trying not to panic. For a moment there, just before the fight, it really looked like Dawn had disappeared into that green glowing light.

"A few scraps but otherwise she seems in perfect health," Darwin announced. From his bag, he pulled out some smelling salts, cracked one open and waved it under Dawn's nose. A beat later and her eyes flew open wide.

"Welcome back, kid," Kennedy greeted, smiling broadly.

Dawn blinked her eyes a couple of times before focusing on all the relieved faces around her. Before she could say anything, her big sister scooped her up in a bone crushing hug.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she said, squeezing tighter.

"Duly noted," Dawn grunted, trying to breathe.

With Dawn doing fine and surrounded by family, Darwin stood and moved to where Andrew was supporting his next patient. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

He lifted the thin vampire into his arms leaving Andrew to carry the sword instead. "_Daijou bu_?"

"Peachy," Emily replied dryly, wincing in pain. "Dawn?"

"Peachy as well."

"Gotta say, I half expected to see you come barreling through the doors in a kamikaze blaze."

"Give me a bit more credit than that. Would I do something so dense?"

Emily eyed him. "Dawn beat you to it, didn't she?"

"Pulled the bloody carpet right from under me, she did."

She laughed, grimaced again at the strain. "You really are a fool, you know that?"

He smiled, brushing his lips to her forehead. "Love you too."

It was over. No one had died and no one got turned into a glowy ball of green energy. They gathered up all their stuff and people and proceeded out of the forest.

Not a single one of them noticed as the Mara leader's eyes opened.


	16. Chapter 16

Part Two: Rebirth

Chapter Sixteen

For everything she'd done for Dawn, Buffy assured Emily and Darwin they were welcomed to stay for as long as they needed. The vampire was still in pretty bad shape even after Darwin patched her up.

"Trust me, this is nothing," he reassured a worried Dawn over breakfast one morning. "You should've seen her after we took on that demon in Scotland the villagers thought was the _Lockness_. It took me forever to put her intestines back inside… something wrong with your breakfast, dear? You've stopped eating."

Dawn spent most of her afternoons in the attic with Emily since Buffy forbade her from leaving the house other than for school. If the vampire was bothered at all by her presence, she never showed it. Even offered homework help whenever Dawn got stuck.

"Um, Emily? Would you please explain to me why some of these injuries seem a bit more… malicious than others?"

The vampire was sitting backwards in a chair with a blanket covering her modesty while the good doctor was changing bandages and re-stitching the more gruesome wounds. Dawn was sitting with her legs crossed, skimming through her history text book once last time to prep for today's quiz.

When she didn't answer Darwin accused, "You antagonized them, didn't you?"

"I was being tortured for information -why would I do something to anger them further?"

He eyed her contemptuously. "Dawn, would you like to learn how to do a suture? Don't worry about making a mistake -just like working on a cadaver at medical school."

"Last I recall that's a place _you've_ never been."

"According to the state of California I have and I'd be a lot nicer if I were you. Especially with these exceptionally sharp scissors in my hand." He waved his hand in front of her face.

Dawn stifled another laugh. It was a lot of fun hanging out with these two -they tended to bicker a _lot_ but she could tell it was out of love. Like an old married couple that kept saying harsh things to each other but you just knew they'd go the ends of the Earth for their spouse.

A metallic chime echoed in the attic. Lowering the scissors, Darwin pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open.

"It's Mrs. Vasquez," he announced, reading the display.

Emily twisted in the chair to look back at him, wincing a little. "Katrina's biopsy was this past Thursday."

"I'd better call her back. Um, Dawn," he glanced at the teen. "Would you mind terribly redressing some of these? I can show you how."

Dawn smiled at him. "I've been around Slayers pretty much my whole life. Trust me; I've changed a few _Band-Aids_ in my time."

"Ah, yes. Very good. I'll leave her in your care, then."

He said something to Emily in Japanese then left the attic, dialing as he closed the door. Dawn sat in the chair he'd occupied and started going through the gauze and tape. Her eyes raked over Emily's back, lingering not only on the dirty bandages she was going to change out, but on the ugly bumpy scars covering almost every inch of exposed skin.

"Um, who's Katrina?" she asked, trying to refocus on the task at hand.

"One of Doc's patients."

Her eyebrow's rose. "So he's _really_ a doctor? I just thought that was, you know, 'cause of that bet you told me about."

"Well, that's what started it. I helped him with the credits he needed but I made him get the actual doctorate on his own. When we realized we weren't leaving Los Angeles as soon as I'd hoped, he coerced me into buying him a practice."

Her tone darkened when she talked about LA. Dawn was freakishly curious to know what her beef with LA was but decided not to push the issue.

She peeled back a particularly large bandage on Emily's shoulder and grimaced. It looked like a patch of her skin had been ripped right off. Guilt rolled in Dawn's stomach, tying it in knots. It was her fault Emily was hurt.

"Listen, about what I said, you know, the whole 'I hate you' thing, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did. But I understand."

"I should've trusted you."

"It was better that way, more believable. Don't worry about it. Another couple of days and these will close. It's only taking so long because they coated the blades in holy water before they used them."

Dawn sucked in her lower lip, feeling doubly horrible. "I'm sorry."

Emily looked back at her looking a little guilty too. "Doc's right -I did egg them on," she confessed.

"_Dawn_!" Buffy called from downstairs. "You're going to be late for school!"

Quickly, Dawn laid the last piece of tape across the non-stick bandage then packed up her bag. "See you later," she said, rushing out with a wave.

"I'll be here," Emily replied dryly.

She came downstairs where the others were either gathered in front of the TV watching the news or at the dining table.

Willow and Kennedy were waiting at the door. "Ready to go, Dawnie?" Willow asked, sweetly.

"Yep. Bye everybody."

Everyone echoed their sentiments except Xander who sat grumpily on the sofa with his arms crossed.

"I still can't believe when he called you 'the Key Master' you didn't say 'are you the Gatekeeper'," he humphed. "Have I taught you nothing?"

Smiling, Dawn gave him a hug over the couch before darting off after Willow and Kennedy.

"So, Dawn, honey, how are you feeling?" Willow asked as she drove them to the local high school. Lately she'd made it a habit of asking this question every single morning since the whole mess with the Mara.

"I'm fine," Dawn replied like she always did. No need to mention the nightmares she'd been having about fading away into a swirling green nothingness. That was expected after something like this, right? Sometimes she still dreamed about the Uber-Vamps and that whole ordeal. It meant nothing.

They dropped her off in front of the school just as the first bell chimed. Dawn quickly raced through the building without looking too dorky and reached her class with a few seconds to spare.

"Welcome back, Dawn," her teacher greeted. "Feeling better?"

"Yep. Absolutely."

"Did you bring a note from your doctor? You know I can't excuse you after three days without one."

Dawn dug into her bag for the note Darwin had provided and passed it on to her teacher. She marked her roster then told Dawn she could sit down.

Greeting a few classmates, she took her usual seat toward the back and started unpacking her assignment and notebook.

"Crap," she whispered. She'd forgotten her pen. And she knew exactly where it was too –sitting all nice and comfy on her nightstand beside her diary. Dawn could picture it perfectly in her mind.

Futilely, she reached into her bag one final time, hoping it would just magically appear so she wouldn't have to start asking people for an extra pen. For a moment, she had the strangest sensation of dipping her hand into a pool of warm water. Her breath caught as a wave of dizziness came over her.

Immediately, she yanked her hand free of her bag, gasping for breath. A cold sweat formed on her brow.

Clenched tightly in her hand was the pen.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Is everything alright?" Emily asked Dawn later that evening.

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Because you've written that same sentence twice now."

Abashed, Dawn stared down at her notebook. "Ah, geez." She began scratching out the words before finally giving up and tearing the page out completely.

Dawn didn't mention what happened at school to anyone. Fact of the matter was it was just her imagination. The pen had been there the whole time. The rest was probably just -what was that called -PTSD or whatever.

Emily looked over the struggling teen's head at Darwin.

"Well, suddenly I find myself with an inescapable compulsion for a cup of tea." He stood and moved to the door. "If you ladies will please excuse me." He left.

Dawn rewrote the good paragraph then crumpled the messed up page and began finishing her original thought about the Confederate surrender correctly this time.

"Hey, were you here during the Civil War?"

"No, I didn't come here until 1912."

"1912? What, did you come across on the _Titanic_?" Dawn joked.

The vampire shifted uncomfortably, moving a strain of hair behind her ear.

That shot her eyebrows to the sky. "No way, seriously? The _Titanic_? As in 'I'll never let go, Jack'?"

"Well, I don't recall seeing Leonardo Dicaprio there but, yes, that _Titanic_. I'd just gotten to the port in Cherbourg and saw a ship heading for America so I snuck on."

"I can't believe you didn't get caught."

"I did. Several times. But everyone just thought I was a lost little kid and told me to get out of their way and go back to my parents." She snorted. "One of the few times looking so young has been an advantage. You have no idea how much grief Doc gives me whenever I ask him to buy me alcohol."

"What was it like?" Dawn asked carefully, not wanting to overstep or anything but unable to hold back on this issue.

Thankfully, the vampire seemed pretty nonchalant about it. Shrugging, she said, "Actually, a lot like the second half of that movie. The whole thing happened in less than three hours but it felt like three minutes. I stayed on until the ship completely floundered trying to help people out and almost got stuck at the bottom of the ocean. It was so dark and quiet."

She shuddered at the memory, a slight tremor running through her hands as she unconsciously ran her fingers over the scars on her arm hidden beneath her midnight blue sleeve.

Shame colored Dawn's cheeks and she dropped her gaze back to her paper. She totally understood the vampire's reaction.

While scrounging up research material for the Mara, she'd stumbled across Darwin's diaries and ended up bringing them up to her room and skimming through them. Yeah, it seemed really wrong to do so but she couldn't help it! Besides, Buffy and everybody else got to read them. So, why not her?

Hoping to distract her from her dark memories, Dawn asked, "So, do you, like, work for Doc back in LA or does he work for you since you own the building and stuff?"

It worked. "The building is in both our names -I added him to everything once I got him his new identity. But _technically_ I work for him as his receptionist."

She emphasized the word "technically" with a hint of contempt. It gave Dawn the impression that Darwin liked to abuse his authority. She had to suppress a grin at the image of Emily being forced to fetch a cup of tea like a regular secretary.

Emily's expression softened a little and leaned in closer to Dawn. "Are you sure everything's okay? I've noticed you aren't sleeping well."

Dawn frowned at her. "How did you know that?"

"It gets very quiet at night. You'd be surprised what you can hear even without supernatural hearing."

"It's just some nightmares," Dawn said with a forced shrug. "No biggie. Totally normal." She hoped.

Emily nodded but something told her the vampire wasn't buying it. "Listen, I know something about unsettling dreams -believe me, I do. So, if you ever need to talk, I'll listen. And if you can't fall back asleep, feel free to come up here. Not all my stories are blockbusters. I'm sure I can bore you to sleep."

Dawn smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Suddenly, Emily's eyes widened and she made a sort of startled gasping sound. Her hands clenched tightly into fists at her side.

"Emily, what's wrong?"

"He didn't," she murmured, ignoring Dawn entirely.

"What-"

Injured as she was, Emily still moved faster than humanly possible. She was out the door before Dawn had the chance to stand.

Dawn caught up with her at the stairs. Darwin was blocking Emily from coming down and the two were having a very heated argument in Japanese.

"Why is he here!?" Emily suddenly shouted in English, more angry than Dawn had ever seen her.

"Get back upstairs," Darwin ordered. "You are in no condition to –"

"_What did you do_?" she yelled back.

Alarmed and confused, Dawn looked past the two of them. The others had all moved well away from the stairs, equally on edge by the abrupt change in the quiet vampire. Buffy was standing next to the front door which was hanging open.

"Angel?"

Sure enough, her sister's undead ex was standing outside the doorway wearing his trademark long black duster. His brow was creased with worry.

"I just wanted to see you," he said, speaking to Emily in a desperate sort of voice. "You disappeared before I got the chance to see if you were okay. Then Darwin called and told me you were hurt again."

Everyone turned to Darwin including Emily -_boy_, _if looks could kill_. "I also told you not to tell her I called," he said, exasperated. "Couldn't have remembered that bit, could you?"

Angel ignored the doctor. "Please, I just want to talk. I don't have to be invited in; I'll stay out here so you can feel safe."

"Safe?" Emily repeated quietly, absolutely livid. She looked like she wanted to vault over the railing and rush Angel.

Downstairs everyone seemed to back up a step, having no desire to come between the two vampires should it come down to it. Andrew cowered a little closer to Vi all but hiding behind the Slayer.

"Angel," Buffy began, cautiously, realizing like everyone just how bad the situation could get. "Maybe you should –"

Angel turned to Buffy, frustrated. "_Please_, I just want to talk to my sister!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

It was as if someone had vacuum-sucked all the sound from the room. His _sister_? Had they all heard right?

"Do _not_ call me that!" Emily practically screamed, leaning so far over the railing Darwin had his hands out as if to catch her. "I am not your sister! That girl is dead and so help me god you will join her!"

She winced and wobbled unsteadily on her feet. Darwin laid his hands on her shoulders and spoke to her in a low voice.

"_Kitenai_!" she snapped, wrenching herself free and moving swiftly past the frazzled Dawn back up to the attic.

Darwin sighed and regarded Angel tiredly. "Thanks for that."

"What was I supposed to do?" he countered. "I hear nothing for three weeks then all of a sudden I get a voice mail from you telling me you got here just fine and oh, by the way, my sister was brutally tortured for several hours."

"I didn't send you smoke signals in the air, did I? I _called_ you. How difficult a concept is that? Bloody hell, I thought with age comes wisdom." He pinched the bridge of his nose, agitated. "Now if you'll please excuse me, I've a nuclear bomb to diffuse. Ta."

With a few more angry mutterings under his breath, Darwin moved up the stairs after the angry vampire.

Silence, even thicker than before, fell upon the world. Everyone was suddenly very interested in their shoes or fingernails and trying not to side-glance at Angel still standing outside uninvited.

"Well thanks for stopping by," Xander said when the silence became too much for him.

Angel glanced up but his eyes met Buffy's who was still standing by the door, helpless.

"Sorry to bother you," he muttered and turned around.

For a moment, Buffy just stood there, watching him walk away. Part of her thought it probably best to let it go, she couldn't imagine what good it would do for her to get involved.

Her body moved before her brain finished working through it. Grabbing her jacket on her way out, she darted off after Angel.

He was pacing in front of a silver car, clearly upset. As Buffy approached, he suddenly lashed out and kicked a dent into the rim of his tire.

"Hope you got the rental insurance," she commented lightly.

He let out a frustrated groan and turned to Buffy. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do about her. I try to talk to her, she hates me. I give her space, she hates me. I…" Deflating, he dropped back against the car with a sigh. "I get possessed by the spirit of an evil vampire god, try to kill her a hundred times… and she saves me. Then disappears without a word."

Buffy just leaned on the car beside him, waiting patiently for him to finish. When he finally did, he rubbed the center of his forehead as if he had a sudden headache then glanced over at her.

"Nice house."

"Thanks. Giles found it."

"Good neighborhood?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But the cops have this annoying habit of actually showing up when the neighbors call them about evil rampaging demons running amok down the street." She sighed wistfully. "Makes me miss the lazy, completely useless cops of Sunnydale.

It worked; a smile spread across Angel's face and he let out a stiff laugh.

"Come on." She pushed off the car and tugged on the sleeve of his coat. "Let's take a walk."

From the attic window, Emily watched Buffy and Liam move together down the street and out of sight. Rage coursed through her body, making her tense which pulled at her various injuries. She hated him being here -now, when she still felt weak and wounded. Vulnerable.

If only she still had her Firestarter, she'd feel better, knowing she'd have the power to drop him from where she stood. But, unfortunately, it had been lost while she'd been leading the Mara away and hadn't been found back at their hideout. She'd have to replace it. For now, she held her silver dagger, moving it expertly between her fingers. At least she wasn't completely unarmed.

_**If you're worried about **__**him**__**, why a blade and not a stake?**_ the voice purred in a mocking tone. Emily had to bite her tongue to keep from responding aloud to it.

The door opened and closed softly. She didn't need to turn around to know who had just entered. "Why did you call him?" she demanded, her anger threatening to boil over.

"_Ochitsuite kudasai_."

She whirled around. "No, I will not calm down! Not until you explain yourself."

"What do you want me to say? After all, weren't you the one that begged Arianna to spare his life?"

"That was a tactic!" she snapped immediately, avoiding his gaze. "She wasn't going to help us and I knew she still had feelings for Cain so I exploited that! I knew you wouldn't let her keep my body and thought if I promised her she could have it, it would give you time to figure out a way to get her back out."

He let out a sardonic laugh. "Not all of us need your unfathomable hearing skills to pick up on lies."

She narrowed her eyes at the doctor, seething. "You know what that bastard did to me and you choose to side with _him_? My murderer?"

"I did not side with a murderer," he insisted evenly. "I sided with your brother. Your blood. Your family."

"Funny, I always thought you were my family. Looks like I was right. After all, if there's one thing I can always count on from my family it's betrayal."

Now Darwin got angry. He rounded on her and shouted, "You've no right to lecture me on the merits of betrayal and trust, Emily! When exactly were you planning on telling me you've been hearing _her_ voice again?"

Either his tone or his words brought a cold sense of dread flooding through Emily. In her mind, the aforementioned voice was laughing, gleeful at her misery as always.

"Oh, yes, I've noticed," Darwin continued off her guilty reaction. "You must have a pretty poor image of me to think that I wouldn't."

Her mouth opened but no words would come to her rescue. It was getting hard to concentrate with that damn laughing.

"A year, Emily. It took over a _year_ to piece you back together –to sift through memory after memory, determining which were yours and which were hers. _You_ may have forgotten about that but I haven't the luxury."

Emily hadn't forgotten. The days she'd screamed until her voice gave out and she coughed up blood. The nights she'd begged him to just let her die. The memory of that hellish year was forever burned into her like a brand. It was only through his compassion and determination that she'd made it through.

And all he'd asked for in return was a ridiculous nickname.

Shame filled her and she found it difficult to hold onto her previous anger. "Why do you keep pushing this?"

Darwin opened his palms helplessly. "Why do you think? Just how long do you think I'm going to live, Emily? I have maybe forty, fifty years –and that's being optimistic. What do you plan to do when I'm gone? I worry about this day and night. Whenever I get a cough or a flu bug I fear I'll close my eyes and not open them again and then where will you be? You and I both know you can't take care of yourself. Is it so unreasonable that I want to make sure you'll be taken care of when I'm gone?"

A hallow pit grew into Emily's stomach. This was a topic she both thought of and refused to acknowledge whenever possible.

Of course she knew it was inevitable, no one could outrun death. Though they'd only known each other a short time –especially in comparison to Emily's more than two hundred years on this Earth –he was more precious to her than anything else. And when she lost him, she _didn't_ know what would become of her.

_**But you don't have to lose him, do you?**_

The words were not hers but they sparked a fantasy. A dark fantasy. One that had drifted through her mind more times then she dared admit.

How would it feel to know she'd never have to lose someone she cared for ever again? To know she'd never have to be alone? Though she'd never done it before, she'd seen it done numerous times through _her_ eyes.

Emily shook her head, shaking the horrid thoughts from her mind. Suddenly it felt incredibly stifling in the attic. The walls were too close together; the window too small. Darwin's screaming voice echoing -he never yelled. It brought her back -back to a time not so long ago when she'd feared his kindness. Reminding her of someone else who'd showed her kindness but for a cost.

_"I need to you to be quiet for me. Quiet as a mouse."_

Plucking up her jacket, she moved to the door and paused.

"It isn't what you think," she said, forcing her voice calm. "It's only an after effect from when they put Arianna's soul in my body. It's just whispers, nothing more. It has no power over me."

"And I'm sure her namesake would say the same of the serpent and the apple," Darwin said gently but pointedly.

With her haunting laughter echoing in Emily's mind, the vampire yanked opened the door.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Suppressing the fifth yawn in the last ten minutes, Dawn pinched her cheeks and tried to focus on her textbook. Of course that was a pretty tall order given the mega-drama that unfolded downstairs.

Emily was Angel's sister. Wow, how the heck was _that_ possible? Although there was something similar about the two vampires; Dawn just thought it was the black clothes all vamps seemed to prefer. But when she thought about it, they both did have the same eyes.

No, no, no! Focus! She had a big test tomorrow and with the whole Mara thing she'd not only missed class but she'd also hadn't studied. That may have been Buffy's thing but Dawn was actually _good_ at school. And she liked being good.

Her eyes drifted from the page and to the clock. Great. It was already after midnight and she was barely halfway through the chapter. She needed to concentrate.

Reconstruction, one of the most turbulent and controversial eras in American History began during the Civil War and ended in 1877.

Was Buffy back yet? It had been a while since she'd gone off with Angel and Dawn hadn't heard her return.

_Ugh, stop! Focus! Read!_

It witnessed America's first experiment in interracial democracy.

And where had Emily gone? Everyone had heard her and Doc fight and then storm out not long after Buffy and Angel left. Last time she'd gone to the little park up the street. But she wasn't mad before. She wasn't gone for good –she'd at least say goodbye first, right? Dawn hoped so. She liked hanging out with her.

For much of this century, Reconstruction was widely viewed as an era of corruption and misgovernment.

Dawn's face fell on top of the book. She groaned her misery loudly. For too many days she'd been cooped up in this house. It was finally getting to her. Sure she got to go to school and all but that didn't exactly count as far as Dawn as concerned.

Maybe if she aced this test and finished all her weekend homework early, Buffy would take pity on her and let her go to the mall Saturday. She'd been scrimping and saving for, like, _ever_ for these killer ankle boots. And they were going on sale Saturday which means not only could she get the boots but a matching jacket. Or maybe a new bag. She should probably scope the site and see what –

Suddenly, the room swam and Dawn's vision tunneled. Her heart felt like it was swelling in her chest, cutting off her air.

She opened her mouth to call for help but nothing came out. She felt like she was trapped on a tilt-a-whirl strapped to a roller coaster.

The floor came up to meet her and everything went black.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"So, you had no idea she was alive?"

For the last few hours Buffy and Angel swapped _How I Spent My Summer Vacation_ stories –her trip to England to pick through the Council's dirty laundry and him trying to revamp an evil law firm into a not-so-evil law firm. It had been, more or less, a distraction from the current family feud but when they got to the more recent events, the conversation once again drifted back to his sister.

"I feel a connection to those I sire," Angel explained. "More so with Emily because of our shared genetics. But until I saw her a couple of months ago, I had no clue. I was in another dimension the last time she was in LA."

Ironically, they found themselves wandering through a cemetery located a little ways from the house. Buffy, Vi and Kennedy took turns patrolling the area so Buffy was very familiar with it. She guided them over to an iron bench where they sat, gazing up at the night sky.

"I knew it'd probably be for the best if I just let her go," Angel said. "But I can't –even if Doc hadn't asked me to keep trying I would."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. "You call him 'Doc' too?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Gunn does and whenever they start talking in Japanese it's the only thing I understand. Gets stuck in your head."

He looked at Buffy with a sort of half-smile. "You know, I practically raised her. Things were… complicated with our parents so I ended up taking care of her."

Buffy nodded along. She understood the "complications" he was referring to having read about it in The Forgotten Archive.

"When I look at Emily now," he continued. "I still see the same little girl I used to tuck in at night and tell stories to and comfort whenever she got scared by the thunderstorms. I see her and I remember that I wasn't there when she needed me the most."

He was of course, referring to Emily's abduction. Clearly he blamed himself for the terrible tragedy that befell his little sister.

"I searched day and night for her for weeks," Angel went on. "Hoping, praying I'd find her and bring her home. Until I found the note my father had carelessly tossed in the hearth without bothering to make sure it had completely burned. I don't remember specifically what it said –just that it was from the kidnappers, giving us a chance to get her back. And my father ignored it."

"What did you do?"

"I wanted to kill him; I hated him so much. But I didn't have it in me. Back then at least. So, I opted for the next best thing. I rebelled. I did everything I could to embarrass him. Committed every lewd despicable act I could imagine. Eventually I grew accustomed to the lifestyle and forgot all about the reason I started.

"After I became a vampire and killed my family, Emily came back. She was so pale and thin –her dress was torn and covered in dirt and blood. As evil as I was, I still loved her and wanted to protect her from harm."

"That's why you turned her," Buffy concluded.

Angel nodded. "It was the first time I ever sired anyone. And when those foolish priests took her from me right in the middle of it, I became enraged. It felt like losing her all over again. I killed every living creature in that town. I took solace in that and forgot her again."

"Is that what you're afraid of?" she asked. "Forgetting her again?"

"I don't know," he admitted tiredly. "Maybe. All I know is it took me more than two hundred years to find her and I don't want to lose her again."

"There is that little thing with her wanting you dead."

"That would be the problem, yes." He smirked at her. "So, any advice? You have had your little sister longer than I have."

"Do you remember when I had my whole hissy fit thing after the Master killed me?"

"Vividly. Why?"

"Well, back then, I was a wreck. Absolutely terrified. Even in LA -in broad daylight -I jumped at every shadow, every weird sound, always convinced it him coming to get me again. I hated being scared all the time and then I just started hating everything. It was just easier being angry then scared."

"So you're saying I should let Emily attack me with a sledge hammer? Because, having been on the receiving end of a sledge hammer, it's not much fun."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Look, Angel, back then I had people on my side to help me get through one of the most traumatic events of my life -friends, family, you. And even then I still didn't handle it very well, as you may recall."

"Yes, I do. 'Go ahead -kick my ass'."

She glared at him. "You want my pearls of wisdom or not?"

Whipping the smile of his face he nodded.

"My point is Emily didn't have anyone. She was thrown into the deep end with nothing and no one to help her. I bet if I was all alone, I'd have ended up just like her."

Angel's face fell a little. "She's never going to stop hating me, is she?"

Buffy reached over and took Angel's hand in hers -as always it was soft and smooth beneath the frigidness. "I'm not sure she hates you, Angel."

"Maybe you didn't hear that whole 'your sister's dead and you're going to join her' thing back there."

"Look, I hated the Master for what he did to me. And what was the first thing I did when I came back? Kill him. You're still alive -that tells me she may be doth protesting a bit too much." She squeezed his hand. "Give her some time. Maybe someday…" She let the thought hang.

Smiling, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles chastely. "Thank you. I should probably head back to LA. I kind of left without telling anyone." He frowns. "God, it must be genetic."

That made her laugh. "I'll walk you back to your car."

Together, they walked hand and hand out of the cemetery, back toward the house.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

It was dark when Dawn opened her eyes. Like _dark_ dark. As in can't see a freaking thing dark.

Reaching into the pouch of her PJ shirt, she pulled out her cellphone and flipped it open. That text she'd been waiting for from Heidi was there now. She ignored it and used the display as a poor flashlight.

Wherever she was it was small and cramped. With difficulty, Dawn managed to stand and get a closer look around. There were shelves from floor to ceiling filled with small boxes. Small boxes any sixteen year old girl would immediately recognize.

Shoeboxes. And not just any shoeboxes.

With trembling fingers, Dawn took one off the shelf and laid it on the floor. She pulled back the lid and parted the tissue paper. The black boots she'd been fantasizing about stared back at her.

This could not be happening.

Leaving the box, Dawn used the meager light to find a door. But when she tried the handle it wouldn't budge. She was trapped.

Panic began to fester inside her and it had little to do with getting caught in the storeroom of_ Paper Hearts_. What made her blood run cold was _how_ she'd ended up here.

Try as she might, Dawn could not ignore how she'd felt just before blacking out. Like she was fading away –same as when the Mara were preforming that spell to turn her back. But Buffy had stopped it! Her still being here with all her fingers and toes present was proof of that!

Then how did she get here, trapped in a room locked from the outside at twelve-thirty in the morning?

Settling herself down on the floor, she held up her phone and began scrolling through the contacts. She paused on her sister's number but could not bring herself to dial it. She didn't want to tell Buffy what was happening to her. That would make it too real.

Instead, she moved to the number below Buffy's and selected it. The dull ringing sounded ominous and Dawn had to fight the impulse to hang up.

"Yes?"

"Emily?" Her voice shook a little.

"Dawn? What's wrong?"

"I… I need your help. I'm stuck."

"Stuck? Aren't you in your room?"

Tears pricked at the corners of Dawn's eyes and she had to fight to keep her voice steady. "No. I'm trapped in a storeroom at _Paper Hearts_. It's a clothing store at the downtown mall."

"How did you get there?"

No good. Emotion tightened Dawn's throat. All she could manage were some choked sobs.

"I'll come get you," Emily said.

"Don't tell anybody," Dawn whispered. "Please just come alone."

There was a long pause; Dawn was scared Emily had hung up without hearing this last request.

"Alright," Emily finally said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Over an hour after hanging up, Emily's quiet voice came through the door. "Dawn? Are you there?"

"Yes! I'm here!" Dawn stage-whispered back, knocking over a couple of boxes in her haste to get to the door.

"Give me a minute."

A few seconds later, the door popped open. Emily was crouched before the knob. Slipping something thin and silver into her pocket, she stood up and held the door open for Dawn.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"

Dawn shook her head but couldn't find her voice anymore. She knew she had to look to horrible. She'd been crying the whole hour away. Even now a few tears were leaking out.

Emily took the teen gently by the arms and guided her out of the storeroom. She caught sight of Dawn's feet and arched an eyebrow at the black boots she was wearing.

Dawn felt her face flush. "I wasn't gonna take them, honest! It's just –my feet were cold. I'm gonna put them back."

She reached down to unzip them but Emily stopped her. "Don't worry about it."

She reached into an inner pocket of her jacket and left some bills on the counter. Then she yanked a coat off a hanger and draped it over Dawn's shoulders.

"You've had a rough night," Emily explained kindly. "I think you've earned them."

They passed through the dark store to the metal gate at the entrance. It was only a few feet off the ground so they had to crawl beneath it. After Emily re-locked it, the two proceeded through the mall.

"Isn't there, like, security?" Dawn asked warily.

"I already turned off the security system. And there's only one guard for patrol. Last time I checked he was sleeping in the control room. We should be fine."

They moved up the stopped escalators, heading toward the far end of the mall where the exit to the street was.

"I think I know what's going on, Dawn," Emily said.

Dawn didn't reply. She huddled tighter within the jacket, a fresh chill working through her.

Emily placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder, pulling her to a stop. "This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?"

Dawn shook her head miserably.

"I need you to tell me about it. It's important."

So Dawn told her all about the pen mysteriously appearing in her bag at school. Then about how she'd been focusing on shopping here this Saturday when she suddenly fainted and woke up in the storage room.

"The spell must've worked," Emily mused. "At least partially."

"Will I be okay?" Dawn asked desperately.

"I think so. It looks like each time you activated the Key's powers it was when you were concentrating on being someplace else. So long as you stay focused on the here and now it might not happen again."

"Really?" Dawn asked, hopeful.

Emily nodded. "I know a few members of the order of monks assigned to protecting the Key. I can get in touch with them for you."

"But I thought Glory killed them all."

"Only the monks directly tasked with guarding the Key. The brotherhood has plenty of members. One of which has a T1 modem hidden in the basement. He checks his email once or twice a week. I'll contact him as soon as we get back."

Dawn smiled her gratitude. "Thanks."

"You have to tell the others," Emily said, turning serious. "You know you can't hide this from them. Especially not from Buffy."

She nodded. "I know. I'll tell her when we get back. I'm just scared, you know?"

"I know. Just remember, you're not alone in this."

Surprisingly, Dawn was really starting to feel better about this situation. Maybe it really was as simple as learning to keep her mind from wandering too far. That wasn't impossible to do. Maybe it _would_ all work out.

The two resumed their walk to the exit. Dawn was glad Emily wasn't suggesting calling Buffy now. The walk home would give her a chance to figure out just how to explain this to her sister.

Speaking of which…

"So… Angel's sister, huh?" When Emily refused to comment, Dawn continued, "You didn't happen to have been created from a swirling ball of energy by a buncha monks, too, were you? 'Cause that's kinda my shtick."

Still the vampire remained silent.

"If you don't mind my saying, it doesn't seem fair to hate him. I mean, he's a vampire and it's not like he had a soul. It wasn't really his fault, was it?"

Emily stopped walking again. "I don't hate the demon in him," she confessed soberly. "I hate the human. My brother."

Dawn frowned. "What?"

"Vampires hunt and kill, it's their nature. You don't punish the fox for killing the rabbit. I understand his need to kill me and I don't fault him for that. It's his decision to sire me. That had nothing to do with a predator's instinct. The demon told him to kill me but the human made him bring me back. And I can't forgive him for that."

Having finished her peace, Emily moved on, not glancing back at Dawn. Dawn hurried after the vampire. She was at a complete loss for words. What do you say to a friend who just said she wished she was dead?

Emily held open the door for Dawn. She was instantly thankful for the jacket –it was very chilly outside. She'd surely freeze if she only had her pajamas.

"I need to reset the alarm," Emily informed her. "It'll just take a –"

Suddenly, Emily was on the ground, convulsing like she was having a seizure. Her body seemed to want to curl into a ball and spread out simultaneously.

"Emily!" Dawn cried, dropping down next to her. "What's wrong?"

That's when she noticed the two metal hooks digging into Emily's chest attached to wires. Dawn followed the wires to their source and gasped in horror.

Holding the tazor that was still sending volts through the vampire was the former leader of the Mara Army. Very much not dead.

Dawn couldn't believe it! How could this guy still be alive? The others said that Emily had killed him.

The last Mara sneered at Dawn, slowly pulling a sword free from his hip. "Your Slayer destroyed my brothers, my family. 'Tis only fitting that I show her the same courtesy. And with a wonderful consolation prize."

He sent another jolt of electricity through Emily who writhed.

Dawn got to her feet and rushed the demon, knocking the tazor from his grasp. Growling, the Mara grabbed Dawn by the throat and raised his sword.

Throwing out an arm, Emily forced a hidden dagger to shoot out her sleeve and into her hand. She shoved the blade into the demon's foot, burying it to the hilt. The Mara howled in agony, releasing Dawn.

Spinning like those break-dancers on TV, Emily swept Mara's legs out from under him. He came crashing down, hard, with his foot still stapled to the ground by her dagger.

"Back inside, now!" Emily ordered, ripping the metal prongs from her body.

Dawn pulled Emily to her feet land the two raced back into the mall with the Mara right behind them.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Look, I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

Buffy waved her free hand dismissively. "Nah. What's a little drama amongst friends?"

They made it back to Angel's car when Buffy's cell phone rang. She hadn't even realized she had it -must've been in the jacket.

She flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Buffy!" came her sister's frantic voice.

"Dawn? What –"

"He's still alive!" Dawn interrupted, breathless. "One of the Mara is still alive and he's chasing us!"

"Where are you?"

"Downtown mall! Hurry! Emily's hurt and she can't –"

A scream cut Dawn's voice off. Then the line went dead.

Buffy looked at Angel. From the fearful expression identical to hers, he must've overheard.

"Get in!"

Angel threw open the driver's side door and started the car. Buffy barely made it in her seat before he was already peeled out and roaring down the street.

Meanwhile, back at the mall, Dawn could tell the tazor's shock was still affecting Emily. Her hands clenched and unclenched and every time she tried to pick up a weapon to battle against the Mara, she'd lose it with one hit from his sword.

This used to be Dawn's favorite mall. Now she cursed it for not having a Hunting and Sporting Goods Shop. Or even one of those dorky mid-evil shops that sold weird swords for outrageous prices. Anything would work right now.

Their retreat took them all the way through the parking garage and up the multiple levels. They'd hoped to find another way out but all the exits were blocked by steel doors and the Mara wasn't giving them enough time to think let alone pick a couple of locks.

Emily crashed through yet another stairwell door, this one taking them to the very top of the structure. The starless night sky opened up to them and an ominous breeze blew their hair.

"Come on!"

Still fighting through the aftershocks, Emily pulled Dawn behind her as she ran across the parking lot. At the other end was another stair access.

Dawn supposed the plan was to double back all the way down the garage and through the mall to the only for-sure exit. But Dawn was only human; she was exhausted from all the running and her adrenaline was quickly diminishing.

They made it to the door but as hard as the vampire tugged, it would not open. This, too, was locked.

Hissing a curse beneath her breath, Emily turned around, yanking Dawn protectively behind her. The Mara was there, smiling gleefully. He knew they were trapped and he was loving every second of it.

"Dawn," Emily murmured, so quietly Dawn barely heard. "While I keep him distracted make a run for the door. Get back in the mall and hide until I find you."

"No!" Dawn exclaimed, not keeping her voice down. "I'm not leaving you!"

"No, my dear, you are not," the Mara agreed coldly. "I have many glorious plans for you."

Emily rushed the demon, jumping into the air and planting both feet into his massive chest. He stumbled backwards, off balance.

Scrambling to her feet, Emily closed in on him, throwing a combination of kicks and punches Dawn had seen Buffy do a bunch of times. Keep moving forward, don't give them a chance to regroup, hit them hard. Rinse and repeat.

Just when it looked like things were finally turning around, the Mara caught Emily's fist in his hand and swiped the hilt of his sword across her face. Then he drove his huge foot deep into her gut.

Emily was on the ground, stunned by the blow. Before she could get up, the Mara planted his knee on her chest, pinning her down. For good measure, he drove the blade of his sword through Emily's palm. She cried out in pain.

Dawn stepped forward to help but froze when the monster pulled out another small blade and pressed it to the vampire's throat. It looked like the same silver dagger Emily had used on him.

"Poor little Halfling," the Mara purred. "Wondering why your body won't cooperate? You see, I had that delightful device modified so it had five times the power. Even dead flesh responds to electricity."

"Congratulations," Emily remarked through gritted teeth. "Let me up and I'll give you a gold star."

"Not to worry, friend. Your existence shall not end this night. I have something special in mind for one with such a sharp tongue. You see, my men watched you and yours for several days before arranging the attack. We learned many things, vampiress. I seem to recall that you do not enjoy being locked away in dark quiet places."

Dawn watched fear spread through Emily's face. Emily forced it away quickly but her eyes were still wider than usual.

"You're going to love the place I have for you," the Mara continued, leaning closer to Emily. "You'll be able to scream to your heart's content and not a soul will hear you."

A small whimper escaped Emily's lips. This naturally made the demon's day and he threw back his head and let out a loud, barking laugh.

That was it! Dawn didn't care if all she was armed with was a pair of awesome boots, she was _not_ going to just stand by anymore. Worst case scenario, she'd piss him off enough that he killed her here instead of torturing her. Dawn could live with that.

Before she got the chance to take off one of her shoes to use as a weapon, something rushed past her. Not something, someone!

"Mind if I cut in?" Buffy quipped, bringing her heel across the Mara's jaw, knocking him off Emily. The silver dagger clattered to the ground beside the vampire, away from the demon's reach.

"Am I glad to see you," Dawn said, relieved.

"_The mall after midnight_?" Buffy exclaimed, turning on her sister. "Oh, you sooooo better have a good explanation for this or you're gonna be grounded until college."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, by the way, thanks for noticing."

Angel was here too. He knelt by Emily's side and, as gently as he could, pulled the sword from her palm. From within his duster, he pulled out a white handkerchief and wrapped it carefully around her bleeding hand.

When the task was complete, the brother and sister vampires stared at each other, neither speaking. Emily was still shaking slightly, whether that was from the tazor or the threats, Dawn didn't know. Angel looked like he wanted to reach out and comfort her but didn't move.

Finally, Angel stood and walked over to Buffy. He still had the Mara's sword and was glowering darkly at the demon.

Dawn was waiting for him to say something dramatic like in a movie. _My name is Angel, you hurt my sister, prepare to die_. But he didn't. When he finally did say something, he spoke only one word and it was addressed to Buffy.

"Dibs."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mara turned and bolted for the door Buffy and Angel had come through.

_Oh no you don't!_

Buffy tore off. She easily overtook the much bulkier demon and planted herself in front of the exit. He skidded to a halt and turned just in time to parry an attack from Angel's borrowed sword with another dagger drawn from his side.

He backed away from the vampire, back within range of the Slayer. She launched into a quick combination –a kick, a few punches and another kick. Mara blocked most of the attacks but that last kick caught him unawares. He stumbled away from the door giving Angel another chance with the sword. Again the demon managed to deflect the blade but this time he finished by popping Angel across the jaw with a meaty fist.

Buffy moved in quickly, dodging a thrust from the dagger. Unfortunately, Mara had been expecting this. When Buffy moved, Mara was ready with a harsh kick to her knee. She dropped, barely bringing her hands up in time to block another kick aimed for her face.

Meanwhile, Angel tried to sneak up on the distracted Mara, but, again, Mara was waiting for him. Moving with incredible speed, Mara shot his arm out and caught Angel's shoulder with the dagger. Then he savagely head-butted the vampire, driving Angel back.

"You think you can defeat me?" Mara roared at a recovering Buffy, enraged. "I have warred for centuries! There is nothing you can do to best me!"

"Shoe's untied."

Reflexively, Mara looked down. Behind him, Angel stepped forward and shoved the sword straight through the demon's heart.

"Made you look," Buffy said sweetly to the astonished Mara as he dropped to the ground.

"Well, that was fun," Angel drawled, yanking the dagger from his shoulder with a grunt.

Buffy stepped over the dead demon and went up to Dawn. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Good. Now, what the hell are you doing here?"

Dawn's face fell a little and she nervously moved a strain of hair behind her ear. "Buffy, there's something I need to tell you. Just… don't freak out, okay?"

Buffy was already freaking out but she kept it together and nodded encouraging to her sister. "Go on."

"Okay, so, the reason we're here is –"

With a deafening roar, Mara shot to his feet. He threw Buffy aside. She slammed into Angel and the two tumbled down to the ground, tangled up in each other.

Mara ripped the sword out of his body. More blood gushed from the wound but he paid it no mind. He was completely crazed. He raised sword high, ready to bring it down on the paralyzed Dawn who screamed in terror.

_Shnnnnk_!

A dagger embedded into Mara's throat. He gurgled and dropped the sword, reaching for the blade. It was the same silver dagger. A few feet away, Emily was on her knees, her throwing arm still out-stretched.

"Feeling much better now," she informed the dying demon.

No one saw what happened next coming. Buffy certainly didn't otherwise she would've moved faster to disentangle herself from Angel. Maybe shout for Dawn to get away from him.

But Emily saw. It was as if she could read the demon's mind.

Mara swayed on his feet but did not drop. Instead, with a dying gasp, Mara lurched forward, throwing his massive body against Dawn. She couldn't support his weight and stumbled backward, legs hitting the protective wall at the edge of the parking garage.

Emily was on her feet and racing like a bolt of lightning. But she wasn't quick enough.

Mara shoved one final time and Dawn and he tumbled over the ledge. Emily reached out and grabbed hold of Dawn's ankle. But the speed she needed to get there in time acted against her. She could not halt her momentum and followed Dawn over the edge.

"_NO_!"

Both Buffy and Angel scrambled to their feet, panicked. Just as they reached the ledge, a brilliant green light exploded from below. An invisible force knocked them off their feet yet again. It blazed for a few short seconds then faded and vanished.

"What was that?" Angel asked.

Buffy couldn't answer him. She recognized that light. She'd last seen it in the forest when she'd gone to rescue Dawn from the Mara.

"_Buffy, there's something I need to tell you. Just don't freak out, okay?"_

Mechanically, Buffy got to her feet and moved to the ledge. She peered over the side and her heart stopped.

On the street below was what was left of Mara and whole lot of blood. And that was all.

Beside her, Angel asked, "Where are they? Where did they go?"

They were too late.

To Be Continued.

Acknowledgements

First of all, I'd like to thank fans of _The Forgotten_ for following this story -your continued support is greatly appreciated. And, of course, to all of those who have followed this story to _The Forgotten_. I hope you all enjoyed this story way more than I enjoyed writing it. Honestly, there was a while there when I didn't think I'd ever finish this. I'm hoping the next part won't be as difficult but something tells me that will not be so. *sigh*

Those of you who really like my writing, please download a free sample of my debut novel StarChild and leave a review -now available through Barnes & Noble, iBooks/iTunes, Sony, Smashwords and everywhere else eBooks are sold (except stupid Amazon xp).

Follow me on Twitter and shoot me an email -I'm always bored and ready to reply.

saragarringer

saragarringer 

TTFN

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